Like Cats and Dogs
by MotorcycleChickenSmile
Summary: Kagome's school is hosting a "Cats and Dogs" themed dance, and Inuyasha won't let Kagome go unless he can tag along. But what about Hojo, her other would-be date? And what happens when a dangerous youkai decides to crash the party? InuKag. T for language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N; Sooo...haha....this is another one of those 'found it on my computer and decided to post it' things. Suffice it to say, if not many people review it, I'm probably not going to finish it. I have more chapters done already, but I've decided to post them one at a time and see how much of a response I get. Same thing with my other Sherlock Holmes fic ( except for that one I have no more chapters already done, I'd have to write more....) The main story I want to focus on finishing is _Our Life, _so these other fics prrrrobably aren't going to be finished in the near future. Still....hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer; Inuyasha and all related characters and concepts are the artistic property of Rumiko Takahashi. Not me. ( sad wince ) _

_Chapter 1_

The room was all of a sudden too hot. It had been fine up until just a moment ago; then the close, stifling warmth in the air had snuck up and pounced on Kagome like a cat. She caught herself fanning her face with one hand in attempt to cool her rapidly heating cheeks.

Sighing, Kagome crossed the small room, her bare toes dragging wearily through the soft, fluffy carpet. She unlatched the single window in her wall and pulled it open, heaving a great exhale of relief when a cold breeze washed over her.

It was early autumn, and the sun had begun to set much earlier. Already the horizon behind the developed, choppy skyline of Tokyo had begun to glow with tangerine and gold, and the sky directly overhead was a thin, inky black. Despite the obnoxious amount of light pollution eminating from below, numerous stars twinkled and winked at her from their place in the night sky. It was as if they were laughing at her.

_'C'mon, Kagome, now is no time to start caring what the stars think. Next thing you know, you'll start worrying about Buyo's opinion!'_

As if in response to her self-disciplining thoughts, the fat, carmel-splotched cat mewed loudly and stretched from his place on Kagome's pink bedspread. He raked his little claws across the fabric a few times before curling back up for yet another hour of sleep.

_'I don't think I've ever seen that cat awake for more than ten minutes at a time,'_ Kagome absently remarked to herself, grinning slighty when Buyo emitted a slow yawn.

Kagome sighed again, turning reluctantly away from the open window and back to her full-length mirror on the other side of her bedroom. She stood up straight in front of it, trying to make herself look as casual and relaxed as possible, while studying her reflection for about the fiftieth time that evening.

Kagome was wearing a short, formal dress that she had bought specifically for the occasion. It was a soft, glowing black satin material, strapless, with a cute skirt that flared out into a cocktail ruffle just above her knees. An inch-thick pink ribbon wound tightly around her ribcage just beneath her bust, with another thinner white ribbon on top of it. They joined together in an adorable bow in the front.

Sighing yet again, Kagome turned to one side, smoothing out the wrinkles at her back. She liked this dress a lot, but she was having some difficulty enjoying it. It looked quite smart on her, if she might say so herself, and it nicely flattered her smooth curves and little waist. So what was the problem?

Kagome quirked one corner of her mouth in a self-mocking smile as another long, hard look in the mirror answered her question.

Two black, furry false cat-ears were attached to the crowns of Kagome's head with bobby pins. The pins were hidden beneath the soft, midnight-black waves of her hair, which fell free and loose over her bare shoulders; the ears, she noticed with a very slight hint of amusement, matched so closely with her hair color that at first glance you might even mistake them as being real. The insides of them were a pale, velvety pink.

The tip of Kagome's nose was blackened with dark eye-pencil, and a few eye-pencil dots had been strategically placed beneath and around her nose to look like whiskers. Bright pink lip gloss shimmered liquidly on her mouth. Her eyes were lined with much more black make-up than she usually wore, elongating her lashes and lids to give her a pretty, Persian expression.

"So, Buyo," Kagome muttered as she turned in circles to examine her reflection from every angle; "Do I make a good cat?"

Buyo mewed softly in response.

"Hm. I guess I should be encouraged by that," she sighed glumly.

_'Great. I '**already**' care about Buyo's opinion!'_

Forcing herself to turn away from the mirror was a difficult under-taking, but Kagome managed to break away from it long enough to search the top of her dresser until she found the bright pink ribbon she was looking for. Returning once more to the mirror, she tied it in a small bow around her neck. Then she slipped her delicate, size 7 feet into black satin pumps to complete the costume.

Kagome stood back to look critically at the cat-girl in the mirror. Something about the ensemble reminded her disturbingly of a dominatrix. Perhaps it was the shoes. Then again, it wasn't as if her dress was slutty, or uber-short, or anything; on the contrary, it was a generous bit longer than the green skirt of her school uniform. The strapless top exposed the tiniest hint of cleavage, but it was practically imperceptible; she had seen far worse at many a school dance.

What was bugging her so much about dressing like this?

Involuntarily, her eyes strayed to the top of her head, where the little pointed ears poked cheerily out of her hair.

_'Maybe it's because I know somebody who actually has ears a little bit like this.'_

Kagome managed to smile a little at that thought, but her amusement was short-lived. Groaning, she slumped her shoulders as she stared at the beraggled-looking cat-girl.

Why, of all the possible themes in the world they could have chosen, did the student committee have to pick "Cats and Dogs" for this year's charity fund-raiser dance? The irony of that coincidence was almost unbelievably cruel.

And yet, as bad as that was, that was absolutely nothing compared to the other heavy weight that was pressing down relentlessly on Kagome's shoulders. She let out a small cry of frustration as she reminded herself of what she was going to have to do once she was 'at' the Cats and Dogs themed dance.

"Ohhhhh....this is gonna be a disaster," Kagome moaned aloud, going inadvertently pidgeon-toed as she slouched even further.

Darn those persistent friends of hers! Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka were always, always, ALWAYS getting her into messes like this! Why was it so easy for them to convince her to do things she didn't want to??

_'It's ridiculous!'_ Kagome thought miserably. _'I can stand up to a twenty-foot-tall, drooling, blood-thirsty badger demon, but not to three highschool girls?'_

At that thought, the memory of the fight against the giant badger youkai only two short days ago came rushing back, and as if in response the cut she had sustained on her forehead suddenly stung hotly. Kagome lifted her fingers to gingerly trace along the scrape, wincing as she did, leaning forward to peer at it in the mirror. The cut had been made by the very tip of the huge demon's claw, missing her by a hair's width as it angrily sliced the air in front of her. The scrape was in an awkward place, right at her hairline, so she didn't have the option of hiding it with make-up.

Then, to Kagome's abrupt dismay, along with the memory of the fight came the memory of what happened 'after' the fight, piggy-backed on top. A dark scowl knit on Kagome's face as she recalled the details of why exactly she had come home so angrily in the first place.

The miko in cat-ears sighed heavily at the unwelcome thoughts, looking back at Buyo for emotional support, but he had fallen asleep on the bed again and was snoring softly. She turned a final time to inspect her reflection in the glass, trying to erase all the awful memories of the two fights; both the one with a badger youkai, and the one with an inu hanyou.

Kagome smirked wanly in spite of herself.

_'Which fight was worse?'_ she joked mentally, trying in vain to focus her attention back on the mirror and the dance.

It really was a pretty dress....

It was a shame she couldn't go to the dance just to hang out and....well....dance.

She was most definitely NOT looking forward to the 'job' her so-called friends had talked her into doing once she was there....

_'Well....'_ she thought reluctantly, a weak smile turning up the corners of her pink, shiny mouth; '_....maybe it doesn't have to be all bad. Sure, that THING isn't going to be any picnic....but I can still have fun at the dance, right? It's been ages since I spent any time at home, and I miss hanging out with my friends....intrusive though they may be sometimes....'_

Kagome's small smile strengthened with a sudden boost of confidence, and transformed into a broad grin as she stood up straight and held her shoulders back proudly.

_'That's right. Why should I let one dark cloud ruin my whole night? It'll be nice to just relax and cut loose for a while. Besides....these don't look so bad,'_ she reached up and tweaked one of the false cat-ears. _'It's actually kind of fun, dressing up like a cat.'_

"Aren't I right, Buyo?" she asked without turning from the mirror. The sleeping cat made no response.

"Of course I am. I knew you'd back me up," Kagome smiled and reached up to adjust the pink choker around her neck. "And besides...." she continued aloud, standing up brightly and pronouncing herself ready;

"....it's not like anyone but my friends are going to be seeing me like this, anyway!"

The sound of an abrupt THUMP at Kagome's window made her freeze, instantly rooting her to the spot. The cheerful smile vanished from her face.

The light breeze that had been fluttering through the unobstructed window was suddenly gone.

Kagome's heart was pounding like a hammer, her face instantly flushing a bright, radiating pink.

_'Oh, please no.'_

"Kagome," a familiarly gruff, gravelly voice muttered from behind her;

"....what in hell are you wearing?"

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"I am in awe, Sango," Miroku said quietly, his dark violet eyes wide and mystified as he stared across the empty clearing at the Bone Eater's well. "How in the world did you do it?"

The rosy-eyed, black-haired taijiya looked up at the monk in surprise. She shifted in her kneeling position, the long sleeves of her kimono rolled up and tied out of the way behind her back.

"Do what?" Sango asked curiously, lifting her warm gaze to Miroku's back standing a few yards off.

"How did you get Inuyasha to go fetch Kagome so quickly?" the amazed monk turned to look over his shoulder at her, his expression mirroring his impressed surprise.

Sango returned his gaze with a blank look. Her hands, gripped around a heavy pestel, hovered over the grinding stone that she had placed next to the fire, the pulverized remnants of a fistful of herbs lying on the smooth surface.

"I haven't spoken two words to that dog-brain since yesterday morning," Sango replied harshly as if she had been accused of something.

Miroku's look of pleased inquiry changed abruptly to one of confusion.

"But....if you didn't convince him to go, who did? Shippou's been gone nearly an hour looking for more aloe."

Sango shrugged as if she didn't care, but the sparkle of her dark eyes betrayed her interest.

"Who knows why Inuyasha does anything he does?" she muttered lowly, turning back to her grinding stone and crushing the herbs into a powder with renewed vigor. "He's such a stubborn ass sometimes. He probably went just to yell at her again."

"Aaah, yes," Miroku winced as he recalled the colorful memory of two days previous. "My ears are still ringing from that little episode."

"I swear," Sango shook her head sagely, her lips pursed in disapproval; "Inuyasha must be bipolar. The times when he worries about Kagome the most are the times when he screams the loudest at her."

"Try not to judge him too harshly, Sango," the monk said soothingly as he turned to sit cross-legged on the opposite side of the fire. "I'm sure he didn't go to Kagome's era just to aggravate her further. Perhaps he really has gone to bring her back."

Sango snorted indelicately. "If that's the case, he'd better have a good apology prepared. I haven't seen Kagome that angry since he threw one of her books on the fire."

Miroku laughed aloud in spite of himself at the memory of that particular incident. Inuyasha had gotten himself 'sat' so many times that he'd thrown his back out and delayed their travelling an entire day.

Laughing had proven to be an errant mistake, however; Miroku was suddenly racked with twinging pain, coursing from his ribcage to his right shoulder blade.

"Miroku!" Sango cried rebukingly as he doubled over, clutching his right side; "Are you trying to kill yourself??"

"My apologies, Sango," Miroku winced, smiling weakly as he opened one violet eye in her direction. "I keep forgetting."

The demon-slayer sighed, returning to her grinding only when she was certain he was alright.

"Keep forgetting like that, and you're going to tear those stitches wide open," she reprimanded him. "...and we're almost out of Kagome's bandages."

"It was kind of her to leave us some of her futuristic remedies," the monk remarked as he gingerly rubbed the right half of his ribcage with his palm.

"Yes, but we've used up all of her antiseptic. We'll have to make due with this until she returns," Sango lifted one of Kagome's clear water bottles even as she spoke and poured some of the clean liquid into the powdered herbs she had just ground. Using a pestel, she kneaded the mixture into a thick, pale green paste.

Miroku flinched involuntarily as he eyed the substance. "Again, Sango?"

"Oh, don't be a baby. It doesn't sting that bad," Sango crooned consolingly, unable to hide the hint of a devious smile that played at her lips.

Miroku caught a glimpse of her mischievous grin, returning it with narrowed eyes and his own grim smile. He trained his voice into his best imitation of calm, monk-like holiness.

"If I didn't know better, my dear Sango, I would be inclined to believe that you simply enjoy inflicting me with torture."

Sango quirked one eyebrow nonchalantly and she replied, "If that were true, monk, you'd have a lot more bruises. In all seriousness though, Miroku, we should apply the medicine to clean your wounds at least once a day. I don't want them getting infected."

A smile tugged Miroku's mouth as he gave the taijiya a sly look.

"Sango. I'm touched."

A responsive blush flooded Sango's cheeks, and her eyes narrowed as she fidgeted with scraping the herbal paste into a wooden bowl.

"WE don't want them to get infected," she hastily corrected herself, blushing even more when Miroku's smile only widened.

Sango snorted, giving the monk a disapproving look as he compliantly began to remove his arms from the sleeves of his dark navy and violet robes, settling them around his waist and exposing the bare skin of his torso, grinning like an idiot all the while.

"You're nothing but a lech and a liar. There should be a rule against you enjoying this."

Miroku softened his features into a look of angelic innocence. "You pain me with your distrust, Sango. I assure you that while I whole-heartedly appreciate your gentle touch and well-meaning assistance with my injuries, I derive no pleasure from this necessity."

Sango repeated her snort even as she positioned herself to sit behind Miroku. "Mm-hm. Nice try, monk."

Because his back was to her, the demon-slayer didn't notice the sly grin that permanented Miroku's face.

Once she turned her attention to his injuries, however, Sango's annoyance and irritation melted away with a sigh of concern. Miroku had been badly hurt two days ago in a fight against an enormous badger demon. That was the last time they had seen Kagome since, before she angrily returned to her side of the well; but Miroku was right. The miko had been patient enough to stitch his wounds, and thoughtful enough to leave them with her pack of medical supplies, making absolutely sure that the monk was going to be alright before she left.

Then, as a final precaution, Kagome had offered one last unexpected gesture of help in addition to mending the wounds....

"The jewel shard is helping tremendously," Sango remarked as her warm brown eyes scanned up and down Miroku's injured back. "All of the smaller cuts and scratches are gone already."

Miroku nodded in agreement, the muscles in his back tensing involuntarily. The shard of the jewel that Kagome had given him to help him heal faster had been carefully slipped into a small cut at the base of his neck, which had healed over immediately upon contact, sealing the faintly glowing shard beneath his skin.

"I must admit, however, that I was a bit shocked when Kagome suggested it. This is the first time she's ever wanted to try and utilize the power of the Shikon no Tama for anything. She's usually so adamantly skeptical about using the jewel."

Sango shrugged, reaching down for the bowl of antiseptic medicine.

"She was very worried about you," she reminded him.

'We all were,' the taijiya added silently in her head.

In the fight two days earlier, Miroku had been struck by the full force of the youkai's lumbering arm and gouging claws on his right side. It was a miracle he hadn't broken any ribs. Four long, ugly gashes were dug deeply through his torso, the longest reaching from between his shoulder blades down around to the right side of his stomach. The smaller scratches ran along his ribcage. He had also pulled the muscle in his right shoulder, and although the energy of the Shikon jewel had managed already to heal the less significant nicks and cuts, the entire area was still mottled with splotchy, red and purple bruising.

Miroku flinched and sucked air through his clenched teeth the instant the disinfecting medicine touched the tender wounds in his back. The paste worked it's way slowly through the stitches, courtesy of Sango's fingertips, burning and stinging him even as it cleansed the area of bacteria.

"Th-thank you, Sango," the monk gritted out between his sharp intakes of breath.

A wave of guilt washed over the demon-slayer, and for a moment she withdrew her fingers, eyeing the pale green paste slathered over his inflamed wounds. She sighed, remembering the battle with the badger youkai, remembering how scared she had been when she realized Miroku had been hurt, remembered how badly she had been shaking when she lifted his limp body into a sitting position, his entire right side soaked with blood...

Miroku, waiting expectantly for another stinging application of the medicine, opened his eyes wide with surprise when he was met not with painful fingertips, but the soft feeling of hair pressed gently against the uninjured part of his spine.

Slowly, the monk turned his head to peer over his shoulder. Sango was leaning with her forehead resting carefully against his back, the slight pressure centered between his shoulder blades and her soft hair brushing his skin.

Miroku stared in awe at the top of Sango's head, her face hidden from view. This was so....so unlike her. Usually, she avoided physical contact with him like the plague; admittedly, perhaps, because nine times of out ten, he would grope her backside whenever she came within arm's reach....

But now....she was resting her forehead on his back? His 'bare' back?

"I'm sorry," she suddenly muttered, her face still hidden downwards. "I'm sorry I let you get hurt, Miroku."

The monk's heart gave a very uncharacteristic twinge of guilt.

"Oh, Sango," he said quietly, his voice sage and ernest. "Don't be ridiculous. This was an accident. You've been of tremendous help to me, and I'm grateful."

Sango's spirits lifted slightly as she stared down at the ground, a small smile lighting up her sad face.

'Imagine,' she thought, even as a light blush touched her cheeks when she remembered her forehead pressed to his back, 'I'm sitting here like this of my own will, and he hasn't even tried to....'

Her thoughts stopped dead when an all too familiar sensation set her body as rigid as a stone, a hand sliding back all the way around her and searching for her backside.

Sango's eyebrow twitched, her face darkening into an exasperated glare.

'Spoke too soon.'

"HENTAI!" she shouted, rearing back and bringing her fisted hand down on the top of the monk's head with such jolting force that he fell limply forward onto his stomach like a sack of potatoes.

The red-faced demon-slayer clenched her hand around the wooden bowl of medicine, glaring daggers down at Miroku's back. To her further outrage, he was grinning like all get-out despite his prostrate position.

"Admit it, Sango," he said, his eyes closed dreamily, "You brought that one on yourself."

Sango answered his remark by scooping half of the herbal paste onto two fingers and slapping it down on the broadest part of his wound, massaging it in with unnecessary firmness. She smiled slightly when her action elicited a pained yelp from the lecherous monk.

"Shippou had better hurry collecting those herbs," Sango gritted out with her teeth clenched in a sadistic smile. "I think we're going to need more antiseptic."

Miroku groaned.

A/N; Eh? Eh? How do ya like it? Reviews make me smile!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N; Well, I guess I got enough of a response to continue posting. Of course, it may be another matter when I actually have to start writing new chapters for this...idk, we'll see what happens. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy! ^.^

_Chapter 2_

"....what in hell are you wearing?"

Moving as rigidly as a statue, Kagome slowly turned around and saw exactly who she knew she would see. He was perched in his favorite spot, right on the edge of the window sill, his body blocking her view of the outside as he braced himself with one hand on the wall. The breeze from the window was rustling his long, flowing silver-white hair, and his pointed, silver dog-ears were perked up and trained in Kagome's direction.

Inuyasha's jaw was descended slightly, his critical amber eyes travelling up and down her body from head to toe, then back again to rest on the false ears atop her head.

Kagome stared stupidly at the dog hanyou perched at her window, her mouth working soundlessly as a deep blush appeared on her cheeks. She felt her stomach clenching in on itself, forming tight knots of embarrassment.

When she didn't answer him, Inuyasha grunted softly and jumped inside the room, landing in a crouched position on the floor before rising to his full height. He continued to stare scrupulously at Kagome as he took a few steps toward her.

The fierce, golden-amber eyes narrowed as they landed on her head, staring intensely at the black cat-ears. There was a faint tinge of amusement in his voice as he eyed the false appendages.

"Kagome, what are those?"

"SIT!"

BAM! The floor of Kagome's room trembled and shook with the force of the subduing spell as Inuyasha was dragged down by the rosary beads and flattened on his stomach on the pink, fluffy carpet.

Growling angrily, his dragged his face off the floor to prop it up on his chin as he glared murderously up at Kagome.

"Dammit, wench! Now what the hell was that for?!?"

Kagome was clenching her fists in front of her, her big, chocolate-brown eyes narrowed down at the hanyou on her bedroom floor. Truthfully, she hadn't even really meant to sit him. It was almost like a reflex.

Kagome ignored his question, as well as the faint guilt gnawing at her as she watching him, struggling and cursing under his breath as he tried to pry himself off the floor.

"What do you want, Inuyasha?" she demanded bitterly, the memory of their most recent fight still fresh in her mind. The anger she had almost forgotten at the prospect of her school dance was slowly returning.

Inuyasha growled fiercely as the sit command at last wore off and he rose staggeringly to his feet. His white, flashing canines were bared as he drew his full height over Kagome, his clawed hands balled into fists. Similarly to Kagome, he ignored her question to ask another of his own.

"All I did was ask what the hell you're supposed to be dressed as! Why'd you have to bite my head off??"

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it and closed it firmly again. Much to her dismay, the warm blush on her face reddened further when Inuyasha brought up her costume again.

Kagome looked down at the toes of her black high heels, her eyes narrowed angrily in embarrassment.

"It's....for a school dance."

There was a short pause. Much to Kagome's surprise, when Inuyasha answered, all the snarling resentment had vanished from his voice, replaced by the most genuine curiosity she had heard from him in quite a while.

"'School dance?'" he repeated quietly.

Kagome looked up at him, the surprise evident on her face.

"What's a 'school dance?'" he asked.

"It's...uh...it's pretty simple, actually. I guess it's kind of like a party. All the students from my school go, and get dressed up, and there's usually a band or a DJ or something, and we just....dance."

Inuyasha stared at her, blinking.

"Except, this isn't an ordinary dance," Kagome hastily continued, perturbed by his silence. "It's a fund-raiser, for charity, so there's a lot more than just dancing. There's food, and games, and raffles, and booths...." her voice faltered a bit at the mention of the last attraction, the slowly fading blush instantly springing back to life; "....and...um....it's a themed dance. That's why I'm wearing this."

Inuyasha's eyes wandered back to the false ears on her head. He was clearly still confused.

"'Theme?' What the hell kind of 'theme' makes you dress like that?" he pointed one clawed finger at her fake ears.

Kagome swallowed thickly, dreading his reaction if she told him the theme of the dance. Nervously knotting her fingers, she tried her best to look innocent as she glanced up into his quizzical amber eyes and mumbled;

"Cats and Dogs?"

Inuyasha quirked one eyebrow and stared at her. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"The charity is for an animal shelter," Kagome offered in explanation, although fully aware that this information would have no meaning to Inuyasha.

The hanyou continued to stare at her for another moment, as if he were carefully mulling something over. He kept his gaze glued to her cat-ears.

Then, as if he had at last decided on a solution to some unknown predicament, he snorted conclusively before turning his eyes back down to lock sternly with hers.

"You aren't going," he said flatly.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

The reaction from Kagome was immediate. The moment after he spoke, Inuyasha regretted the fact that he was standing so close to her; that only made the rippling pain that coursed through his ears that much more intense.

"WHAT?" Kagome shouted, her expression changing from quiet and embarrassed to angry and defiant in the blink of an eye.

Inuyasha quickly pressed his ears flat to the top of his head in an effort to block out the piercing sound, but it was too late. His head was already ringing.

"DAMMIT, bitch, that hurts!" he roared back, edging away from her.

Kagome quieted down, but the heavy, agitated breathing causing her chest to rise and fall rhythmically continued.

"It's going to hurt a lot more if you don't stop ordering me around," she hissed, folding her arms crossly.

"I mean it Kagome!" Inuyasha warned, cautiously lifting his ears. "You are not going to this _dance_ thing."

The black-haired miko _hmphed_ loudly, her chocolate eyes boring into Inuyasha's golden ones. Despite his stubbornly rising anger, the hanyou was unable to resist glancing up at those strange little black ears Kagome had stuck on top of her head.

As he looked at them now, his flashing amber eyes squinted as if to seem them more clearly. It was uncanny. They...they almost looked real.

If he hadn't known for an undeniable fact that she was a human miko, Inuyasha almost would have fleetingly thought that Kagome looked like a hanyou.

Kagome's sharp, cutting voice brought him back to reality.

"And what makes you think that a decision like that is up to you?"

Inuyasha glared, forcing himself to look away from the intriguing black cat-ears. He was a little distracted by the black make-up on her nose and cheeks, but a quick, almost imperceptible glance back down at her body renewed his vigor in making absolutely sure she didn't go anywhere near this 'dance' thing of hers.

"I don't care if you think it's _up to me_ or not. I'm not letting you go," he growled darkly.

"Why not?" Kagome demanded, moving her hands to her hips.

Inuyasha's argument suddenly hit a brick wall as he opened his mouth and no sound came out. To his chagrin, a light blush appeared on his cheeks and he immediately turned his head aside in an attempt to hide it. He really had to explain it to her? Wasn't it obvious?

Inuyasha struggled to quell to sensation of hot butterflies rising in his stomach, but to no avail. Worst of all, he was unable to keep his gaze from betraying him and straying back to peer sideways at Kagome.

She really didn't understand why he was forbidding her from going? Was she honestly that naiive??

Inuyasha had been to Kagome's school several times before, and every time he went he was bombarded by the collective scent of hundreds upon hundreds of males, each of them young and in the virile stages of life. And more than once when he was waiting on the rooftop for her to be finished with those ridiculous lessons of hers, he would spy her walking outside, and practically every damn time, that same human guy had cornered her! She had told him the bastard's name once....Hojo, was it? Just remembering the way that little weakling talked to her, grinning like an idiot the whole time, getting all excited when she answered him....even touching her hands once.....the very memory of those incidents made Inuyasha bristle with burning, pent up anger.

His fists clenching with heated possessiveness, Inuyasha stole another glance at the increasingly impatient miko, and the infernal blush started up on his cheeks again.

'Hell, look at what she's wearing!' he thought incredulously, scowling even as his eyes were glued to her.

The dress Kagome wore was tight, far tighter than anything he had ever seen her in. The skirt may have been a little longer than the one she normally wore, but it was far more clingy and revealing. Until it hit about mid-thigh, the damn thing hugged around her hips like a second skin, showing every curve in its complete definition.

And the top! Inuyasha turned an even deeper shade of crimson as his eyes fell on the obscenely revealing upper half of the dress. The damn thing had no neck. No sleeves. No shoulders. Hell, it barely had a chest! It hung so snugly on her breasts, and was wrapped so tightly beneath her bust, that nothing at all was kept a secret. His eye rested for a particularly seething moment on the distinct trace of cleavage that she was showing to the world.

And Kagome expected him to just stand by and let her go waltzing off to a school dance dressed in something like that?? Where that creep who was always hitting on her, along with God knew how many other boys, would see everything that he was seeing now??

No chance in hell.

"Answer me!" Kagome shouted, snapping him out of his stewing reverie.

Inuyasha turned back to face her, forbidding his eyes from straying off her angry face.

As deep and gnawing as his reasons were....he just couldn't bring himself to say them aloud.

"You can't go because I'm taking you back home!" he shouted instead.

Kagome stomped her foot once, her ankle wobbling a little in her ridiculous shoes.

"Darn it, Inuyasha, I AM home!"

"You know what I mean! I'm talking about back through the well!" he yelled in frustration, his sentence ending in an agitated snarl.

"Forget it!" Kagome retorted, crossing her arms again. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Dammit, Kagome, are you still mad about that stupid fight?" Inuyasha growled, the exasperation slipping into his voice even as his heart gave a very noticable twinge. Just thinking about their bitter argument two days past was enough to make his whole body ache with guilt. He struggled not to let it show in his carefully sculpted glare.

"I am not going back to the Sengoku Jidai until you apologize," the miko said calmly, turning her back on him.

The inu hanyou stared furiously at the back of Kagome's head, instantly forgetting his guilt. How dare she ignore him! How dare she demand an apology when SHE was the one who had started the whole damn thing in the first place!

Inuyasha growled lowly at her back, the threatening sound rumbling up from deep inside his chest as he hid his hands into the sleeves of his crimson haori and plopped down on the floor, sitting cross-legged with his back to Kagome.

_Alright then. If she's going to be a stubborn bitch, that's just fine with me! I can wait here as long as she can!_

A thick, tense silence filled Kagome's small bedroom. What was worse, something in there was ticking repetitively. Inuyasha's ears swiveled irrately in every direction, searching for the source of the noise. He found it on top of the dresser beside her bed, cracking one golden eye to peer in its direction. With a low growl of annoyance, he saw that it was that strange, clunky instrument she sometimes brought with her to the Sengoku Jidai, the one that made that god-awful ringing noise at all hours of the morning. Kagome had told him once that it was called an 'alarm clock.' He had come to associate that name with a merciless assault on his ears that didn't stop until Kagome woke up and groggily pressed her finger on top of it.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Save for the incessant ticking of her damn clock, Kagome's room was completely silent. The hanyou and the miko kept their backs stubbornly turned to one another, both of them refusing to either budge or speak to the other.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

_I don't know what Kagome's so upset about_, Inuyasha thought irrately. _It's just a stupid dance. What could be so important about that?_

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The hanyou very carefully flicked one ear back toward Kagome. She was still standing in rigid silence, not so much as flinching in his direction.

"Keh," he dismissed, folding his arms even tighter inside his sleeves. _Stubborn wench._

Tick. Tick. Tick.

_Why'd I even bother to come here in the first place? _Inuyasha wondered, scowling down at Kagome's pink carpet.

The one good thing about the impermeable silence filling the room was that it gave Inuyasha a moment of peace to think, without Kagome's screeching voice bombarding his twinging ears.

_I came here to take her back with me. Dumb idea. I should have known she'd still be holding a grudge._

Tick. Tick. Tick.

_So why'd I come when I knew perfectly well she'd never listen?_

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Suddenly, a small voice broke into Inuyasha's thoughts, whining and nagging at him from the back of his mind. It was that obnoxious little voice of reason that always started talking to him when he was having problems with Kagome.

_You came here to apologize, remember? _it reminded him.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Inuyasha bristled fiercely even as his cheeks grew warm again, his nostrils flaring briefly in defiance.

The stupid voice was right. He had left Sango and Miroku and Shippou by the campfire in the clearing of the Bone Eater's well. He remembered that he had waited specifically until all of them were occupied and wouldn't notice him leaving. Sango had been absorbed in grinding medicinal herbs for Miroku's healing wounds, Shippou had wandered a little ways off into the woods to search for more of the plants she needed, and the monk had just nodded off.

Even as the thoughts swirled around in his head, Inuyasha's flare of anger was fading away. His shoulders slowly began to droop, his face fell and his head hung low. Finally, his ears pressed down on his head, and he slumped down into a sulking position.

_That's right. I came to apologize. And what do I do instead? I yell at her and make her angry all over again. How productive._

The silence in the room pressed on. Kagome hadn't budged an inch.

_And now she's not only mad at me over the fight....she's pissed about this whole dance thing!_

Tick. Tick. Tick.

_Perfect. Just perfect._

Tick. Tick. Tick.

So what was he supposed to do now?

Tick. Tick. Tick.

_She is not going anywhere dressed like that. I don't care if she sits me until I break through her bedroom floor and fall into her kitchen. I'm not letting her anywhere near all those hormonal bastard! _Inuyasha thought, his hand absently sliding down to grip possessively on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.

Tick. Tick. Tick......

_And especially not anywhere near that idiot Hojo!_

BBBRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNGGGGG!!!!!!

"AUGH!" Inuyasha barked in surprise, practically jumping out of his skin when the familiar, horrible screech of the alarm clock unexpectedly shattered the silence in Kagome's room.

"Omigosh!" the startled miko suddenly whirled around, dashing past Inuyasha and ignoring him entirely as she seized the clunky metal nuisance in her hands.

His heart still pounding like a hammer, but his rapid breath slowly subsiding, Inuyasha rose to his feet to peer confusedly over Kagome's shoulder. She was staring at the face of the clock with an expression nothing short of abject horror.

"Oi, what's the matter now, wench?" he demanded curiously, his gaze darting back and forth between the clock and her mortified face.

"It's 7:30!" she veritably screamed, her high, frantic voice striking up a painful throb in his ears once again. Instinctively pinning them flat to his skull, Inuyasha bit back the urge to growl in favor of speaking in a low, gravelly husk.

"So?" he commented blankly.

"So I'm supposed to be at school right now! I'm late!" Kagome explained hastily, even as she silenced the alarm clock and dropped it haphazardly back on the night-stand.

Inuyasha watched in a disinterested haze of confusion as she bent over and began shoving things into a tiny black bag. He noticed wryly as she scooped up the necklace that contained the glass vial of shards from the Shikon no Tama....minus the one that she had insisted on leaving with Miroku back in the Sengoku Jidai. Kagome seemed to hesitate for a moment, eyeing the jewel shards wistfully before draping the thin necklace over her head and tucking the glass vial into the neck of her dress so that the precious item was hidden from sight.

"Hold it!" Inuyasha barked as she turned and began a mad dash for the door.

Before she was able to so much as reach for the door knob, the hanyou had seized her by the wrists and spun her back around to face him.

"Let go, baka!" she ordered, squirming helplessly to free herself from his grasp. "I mean it, Inuyasha! I don't have time for this!"

"What's so important about this _dance_ thing, huh?" he demanded, unable to completely mask the faint twinge of hurt in his voice from being so easily dismissed by her.

"I have to go to it! I promised my friends I would...er....help them with something!"

"Well, _I'm _your friend, aren't I?" he quipped bitterly, tightening his possesive grip on her wrists. "And if memory serves, you already owe _me_ a promise! You're supposed to help me track down shards of the jewel! Remember? The one you just so happened to BREAK INTO A MILLION DAMN PIECES?"

"SIT BOY!"

Inuyasha let out a soft _oof_ as he thudded face-first on Kagome's carpet for the second time. The instant the miko's hands broke free of his grasp, she was out the door and hurrying down the hallway.

"WENCH!" he roared, angrily trying to force his subjugated body off the floor with little success. "You ain't gettin' away that easy!"

"I'm sorry! But I have to go, Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice carried back to him through the empty hall. "Can't we talk about things when I get back?"

"Oh, we're gonna talk alright....." the outraged hanyou swore beneath his breath.

The instant the subduing spell wore off, Inuyasha was on his feet and bolting through the door. He immediately caught sight of Kagome trotting rapidly down the staircase.

Without a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha placed the heel of one foot on the wooden banister of the balcony beside the stairs and used it to forcefully propel himself over the edge, soaring briefly in mid-air with the sleeves of his haori whipping behind him.

He didn't miss the startled gasp that slipped from Kagome when he suddenly landed in front of her, so close that their noses practically grazed each other. He was standing at the very bottom of the staircase, and Kagome was on the second-to-last step, quickly backpedaling as if to escape his grasp.

"Get it through your thick head, Kagome!" Inuyasha growled, towering over her even though she was standing two steps above him. "I'm not letting you go ANYWHERE when you're dressed like THAT!"

Kagome's eyes, already wide from the shock of having a six-foot-six snarling hanyou dropping from the sky and landing inches from her face, grew even wider as what he had said registered in her mind.

For a moment, Inuyasha froze, his heart abruptly rocketing into his mouth.

_Oh, hell. I just said it, didn't I?_

He swallowed loudly, but it did nothing to relieve the dryness in his throat. The blank, pointed stare that he was getting from Kagome wasn't helping any, either. Inuyasha sighed heavily, lowering his gaze to the floor. Now he had no choice.

"K-Kagome...I..."

"Sit."

"AUUGH!"

The yelp that escaped Inuyasha's lips was more from shock than anything else. But no sooner had he emitted the sound when another, even more startled cry erupted from in front of him.

"AAHH!"

"OOOF!" Inuyasha felt all of the wind rush out of him as his chest contacted with Kagome's knees. He had been standing so close to her that the sit command sent him sprawling on top of her, pinning her down with the stairs at her back.

Inuyasha blinked, trying to clear the fuzz from his mind to take in what had just happened. He suddenly became very aware of something soft and silky underneath his chin, along with the fact that the sharp toes of Kagome's shoes were poking into his thighs. Looking up, he saw a very flustered, very breathless Kagome staring back down at him. Her cheeks were flushing with a bright, livid pink.

The next second, Inuyasha's face was warm with a heated blush of his own as he realized that the sit command had landed him with his face pressed squarely into Kagome's stomach, her legs trapped beneath the weight of his body.

"Uuuhh...Inuyasha....could you....maybe....get off me?" she murmured, gasping for breath.

Inuyasha's blush darkened, and before he could stop himself he dropped his chin again and buried his face in the smooth, silky material of her dress to hide his reddening cheeks.

"Iff uuurrr own thhhupid fall," he mumbled, the sound muffled into Kagome's stomach.

She blinked. "Huh?"

Growling with embarrassment, the hanyou reluctantly looked up, propping his chin somewhere around her belly-button.

"It's your own stupid fault," he repeated.

Kagome flushed even more intensely as anger creapt into her features, inducing a small whine from the half dog-demon still flattened on top of her.

"Well, I wouldn't have said it if you hadn't startled me!"

"Well if you weren't such a stubborn bitch, I wouldn't have had to startle you!"

"Well I wouldn't act so stubborn if you weren't such a possessive jerk all the time!"

"I am not possessive!" Inuyasha snorted indignantly.

"Ha!" Kagome laughed cruelly in mock amusement. "Not possessive?? It's bad enough you order me around in the Sengoku Jidai, now you're trying to tell me where I can and can't go in MY ERA, too!"

"Damn right! And if I say you're not going to some dance, then dammit, Kagome, you're not going!"

"UUUGH!" the miko groaned frustratedly, letting her head and arms flop limply on the staircase. "If you had any more of a one-track mind, you wouldn't be able to walk and chew gum at the same time!"

Inuyasha quirked one eyebrow. He supposed that was an insult, but seeing as he wasn't sure what she meant by _chew gum _it didn't spark the familiar anger in his belly like her taunts usually did. It sailed straight over his head.

"Will you just shut up and listen for two seconds, wench?" he growled. At that moment, he realized that the subduing spell had worn off a while ago, yet he was still sprawled on top of Kagome with his chin on her stomach. Blushing profusely, he hastily scrambled off of her and got to his feet.

Scowling darkly, Kagome braced herself on the step beneath her elbows and lifted herself up, arching her back as she did. She then let out a sharp, sudden cry of pain and dropped back down, her body trembling and her face twisted in a grimace of anguish.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha was instantly at her side, supporting her bare shoulders with his hands. That _feeling_ attacked him the second he heard her yelp of pain.....the feeling of hollowness, as if his insides had suddenly disappeared. It was the same feeling he got every time he thought she might be hurt; the littlest things could set that feeling off. A bump, a bruise, even so much as a scratch on her hand....

Kagome winced as she slowly struggled to sit up, holding one palm pressed flat to the small of her back.

"My back..." she moaned softly, her body going rigid with tension. "I must have hit it funny on the stairs..."

Without a word of warning, Inuyasha swept her into his arms and carefully lifted her off the stairs, turning and carrying her bridal style back to her bedroom.

"Keh, how could you be so stupid, wench?" he growled as he pushed the door open with his foot. "What did you think was going to happen when you said 'sit' and I was two inches in front of you??"

A soft groan from Kagome put an instant stop to his tirade. Slowly, he lowered her down and laid her on the bed, his golden eyes staring intensely at her face as he did. Unshed tears were beginning to glisten in her eyes.

_Hell_, he thought, the feeling twisting so hard at his insides that it nearly ached; _She really did go and hurt herself, didn't she?_

"Kagome, where does it hurt?" he asked softly, dropping to his knees beside her.

"It....it doesn't hurt too bad," she said quietly, opening her eyes and gingerly rolling onto her side.

"Is it your back?"

"Yeah...I think I just bruised it."

"Don't sit up!" he barked at her as she began to lift herself up on her elbows.

"No, really Inuyasha....it's already fading," she assured him as she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Inuyasha glared at her hesitantly, but he could sense by the lightening tone of her voice that she was telling the truth. The salty smell of her tears was also dissipating, much to his relief.

Once he was absolutely sure that she was alright, Inuyasha turned his back to her with a shallow grunt, leaning against her bed and seating himself in his usual cross-legged position of apathy. Folding his arms in the sleeves of his haori, he made it a point of avoiding her gaze when she scooted closer to him. There was a short moment of silence.

"Inuyasha," Kagome finally spoke.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, not yet willing to give her his full attention, but wanting to show that he was still listening.

The miko seemed to hesitate, biting her lip thoughtfully as she looked down at the irritated hanyou sitting on her floor.

"Does....does my outfit really bother you that much?"

Inuyasha instantly shot his eyes open, his body going rigid as a board. Oh, hell. He had forgotten about letting that slip.

Swallowing quickly and fighting to keep the blush from reappearing on his cheeks, he merely shrugged in reply.

"Because it's just a costume, you know. It's....it's not like I meant to make fun of you or anything."

That caught his attention. Now wearing a look of slight confusion, he allowed one golden eye to tilt in her direction.

"What are you talking about, wench?"

He was genuinely surprised to see a truly apologetic look on her face. What did she have to be sorry about?

"I didn't think you would ever see them," she continued, staring at him sadly as if asking him to forgive her. "I never even stopped to think how they might make you feel."

Now he was completely lost. She obviously wasn't indicating her skimpy dress.

"_What_ are you talking about?" he repeated, knitting his brows quizzically.

Kagome blinked, and Inuyasha cringed when he saw the unshed tears sparkling again. Damn, she cried easily!

"My....cat-ears," she said quietly, her cheeks flushing. "I'm not making fun of you, Inuyasha, honest."

The wide-eyed hanyou stared blankly at her for a moment. He was having difficulty fighting to keep from bursting out laughing. A quick glance at her shimmering eyes helped to quell urge.

"Kagome, I couldn't care less about _those_," he said, jerking her head in the direction of the black ears.

Kagome started in surprise.

"Well then....what did you mean, 'dressed like _that_'?"

"I...." Inuyasha felt his face getting warm again, and his hands started to fidget inside his sleeves. _Damn, why can't I just say it?? You can't go because I don't want those bastards ogling you! Suck it up and say it, baka!_ "I...."

Without meaning to, Inuyasha slowly let his gaze stray down Kagome's neck and rest on her cleavage. The instant he realized what he was doing, he snapped his head in the opposite direction, shaking off his momentary lapse with a soft, "Keh."

_Say it! Bite your lip and say it, baka!_

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Realization came over Kagome painfully slowly as she stared in confusion at Inuyasha, who was pointedly avoiding her gaze. She stood up off the bed, walking around him in a circle to stand in the path of his vision. He stubbornly turned away again.

_Should have seen that coming_, Kagome admitted to herself, heaving a slight sigh of exasperation.

The next moment, however, the weight of what Inuyasha was truly trying to get across to her began to sink in. A dark blush stained Kagome's cheeks for the umpteenth time that evening.

_If it's not my cat-ears that are bugging him, then it must be....._

Kagome's chocolate brown eyes grew remarkably wide, and she immediately raised her hands to cover her chest with them in a protective motion. The embarrassment swelled inside her like helium in a hot air balloon.

_I never even thought about that! Oh, he must think I'm a complete......KAGOME, you idiot! Of course he thinks that! Girls don't wear things like this in the Sengoku Jidai!_

Inuyasha's left ear twitched. Even though she couldn't see his face, she was certain that it was every bit as red as hers was at the moment.

Inhaling deeply to try and calm her dizzying thought spiral, Kagome slowly sank back down on the bed. She swallowed a few times and cleared her throat, mentally preparing herself for the awkward conflict that was undoubtedly about to ensue.

"In-Inuyasha....I....I'm not going to change my dress," she said, flinching in advance and bracing herself for impact.

Inuyasha didn't respond immediately. In fact, the slowness and calm of his reaction was far more unsettling than any amount

of hollering or bellowing could have been.

Slowly and deliberately, he stood up. Turning around to glare down at her, he crossed his arms with an end-of-discussion sort of finality.

"Then you aren't going to the dance," he said plainly.

"Please try to understand, Inuyasha. Everyone wears dresses like these at dances. Heck, some girls wear things that are _way_ more revealing than this! I actually thought I was being conservative when I bought it!"

Inuyasha's golden eyes bugged.

"'Conservative??' In _that_??" he rhasped incredulously, pointing one clawed finger at her chest.

"Urgh! Honestly, Inuyasha, you're worse than my Grandpa!" Kagome accused, but at the same time folded her arms over her chest to hide it from view.

"Keh."

The miko sighed heavily. This little tete-a-tete was getting them nowhere fast. Kagome's gaze strayed absently to the clock, and she saw with dawning horror that it was already 7:41. Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka were going to pitch a fit if she didn't get to the dance, pronto. They were probably already wondering where she was.

Then, suddenly, a crazy idea struck her. It was risky....extremely risky....heck, it was downright dangerous. But if she wanted to have any hope of making it to the dance before sunrise, she had do something about Inuyasha; and quick. But what was she going to tell him about the_ thing_? If he was this upset over her dress, he would blow a blood vessel when he found out what she had been roped into doing at that booth....

Another glance at the clock cinched it. Kagome had no choice but to follow through with her plan. Maybe she could find a way to keep Inuyasha distracted at the dance long enough for her to complete her appointed 'task'....then he would never even have to know about it.

The miko swallowed thickly, her throat suddenly dry as cotton. She lowered her hands to the bedspread, fidgeting with it in her fingers as she nervously chewed her bottom lip.

_Do it! _she mentally commanded herself, her heartbeat quickening. _Just come out and say it! It's the only way to get him off your back!_

"Inuyasha?" she squeaked timidly.

He glared down at her over folded arms, his golden eyes flashing with indignant supremacy.

"What?"

Kagome's mouth wasn't cooperating. Her lips were moving, but only the barest minimum of sound was escaping. _The only way to get him off your back....plus...._

Inuyasha's glare darkened even further and he began to drum his fingers impatiently.

"What, wench? Going to try and change my mind, are you?"

Still no audible words. _Darn it, Kagome, just say it already!_

A low growl rumbled from the hanyou's chest.

"Listen, wench, if you got somethin' to say, then say it!"

Kagome took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and let the words tumble out of her mouth in a jumble of nerves.

"Would you go to the dance with me?"

A/N; Yeah, in looking over this, I'm beginning to notice how primitive my writing style was when I wrote this...I feel ( hope! ) that I've gotten a little better since I wrote this, and it's almost painful to post this now. But I'm going to keep going as long as I keep getting reviews, so you know to do!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N; Chapter 3, ladies and gents. Enjoy.

Disclaimer; Don't own anything. Rumiko Takahashi does. Go talk to her.

_Chapter 3_

"Sango! I'm back!"

Sango looked up from sharpening her Hiraikotsu to see Shippou bounding happily into the campsite, a thick bundle of herbs clutched protectively in his little arms. The taijiya smiled warmly at the kitsune as he dropped the offering at her side.

"Wow, Shippou, you found a lot. I'm impressed."

Shippou beamed, lifting his chin high and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was going to get more, but I figured I had better head back to check on you and Miroku."

Sango grimaced slightly at the mention of the hentai monk's name, casting an irritated glance in his direction. He had fallen asleep again, this time lying flat on his stomach so as to alieve pressure on his aching back and side.

"Don't waste your time worrying about that lecher. He seems to be doing just fine."

Shippou brushed off her obviously biased comment, sitting down beside Kilala and scratching her ears softly as she slept near the fire. The currently house cat sized youkai purred in her sleep, unconsciously leaning into Shippou's hand. Suddenly, the kitsune glanced up and surveyed the camp site, his wide, emerald eyes searching curiously.

"Hey, where's Inuyasha?"

Sango didn't attempt to hide the smirk that crossed her face.

"He went to apologize to Kagome," she said matter-of-factly, taking great pleasure in the look of utter surprise on Shippou's face.

"He did, _really_? Already? It's barely been two days!"

Sango grinned wider.

"Wow," Shippou mused, his gaze inadvertently turning towards the Bone Eater's Well on the other side of the clearing. "And we didn't even have to bug him. Usually he sulks around for at least a day, and then it's another two before we can talk him into going."

"Who knows? Maybe this is the start of some much needed maturity kicking in," Sango suggested optimistically, still smiling as she rolled down her sleeves and put away the grinding stone she had been using for Miroku's medicine.

Shippou continued to shake his head in disbelief.

"Kagome seemed really angry when she left. I hope that baka isn't doing anything to make it worse."

Sango sighed, scooting closer to the kitsune and the cat youkai to place a comforting hand on Shippou's tiny shoulder.

"We can only hope, Shippou."

On the other side of the fire, in his sleep, Miroku muttered under his breath as if in subconscious agreement.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

It was fortunate that Kagome had squeezed her eyes shut before asking Inuyasha her question. If they had been open, she would have seen the completely uncharacteristic bug-eyed look of utter shock that plastered the hanyou's face, and she would have burst out laughing and ruined everything. As it was, she saw only the back of her eyelids as she gripped the bedspread for dear life, waiting in silent agony for the rejection she was almost positive was coming.

_At least I gave it a shot_, she thought sadly, her body tensing up even further.

There was a short moment of silence. When the expected ranting and raving didn't come, Kagome cautiously cracked one eye open. Inuyasha's arms had dropped to hang limply at his sides, and he was staring at her with his mouth agape.

Kagome slowly eased open both eyes.

"Well?" she tested. "Whaddaya say, Inuyasha? Will you go to my dance with me?"

He continued to stare speechlessly. Kagome gulped.

"It's not like you'd have to actually dance, or anything," she hastily filled in. "You don't even have to talk to anyone, if you don't want. I'm sure you could find someplace to just hang out."

Still no response from the wide-eyed inu hanyou.

A bright flash of optimism suddenly flittered across Kagome's expression.

"Hey, you know what else? You wouldn't even have to wear a cap! It's a costume dance, _Cats and Dogs_, remember? Lots of people will be wearing fake animal ears! You would blend right in! I bet nobody would even notice if you didn't wear shoes."

Inuyasha blinked repeatedly.

"You.....want me to go with you?"

Kagome was taken aback by the astounding softness in his tone. He spoke so quietly she barely heard him. He sounded almost.....did she dare to believe.....happy? The miko nodded fiercely, smiling at his look of total astonishment.

"Mmm-hmm. And that way, you could keep an eye on me, and you wouldn't have to worry about any boys....er....looking at me."

At that, his face flushed and he lost the puppy-dog expression of innocent surprise.

"Who said I was worried about boys looking at you? Keh! I couldn't care less!"

Kagome lifted one eyebrow. _Oh, so that's why you were flipping out over a tiny bit of skin?_ Instead of voicing the thought aloud, she simply sighed.

"Well...if you don't want to, I completely understand...."

"I didn't say that," he interjected defensively.

"Then would you go? Please? I promise you'll have a good time."

"Keh. I highly doubt that."

"This isn't just a dance. It's more like a fair, really. There'll be games and food and raffles..."

"Food?" his nose suddenly twitched, and Kagome had to stifle a laugh.

"Yup. A lot of food. Stuff I don't think you've ever tried before."

Inuyasha glared, folding his arms as he narrowed his eyes. He was trying not to show it, but it was obvious that he was considering Kagome's offer.

"And you'll stay where I can see you, wench?"

At that, Kagome faltered. There was no way she could let him see her while she was working at the _thing_.....

"Well...um....it's a big school, Inuyasha, and they open the whole thing up for dances like these, the gym, and the cafeteria, and everything....it might be a little hard for me to stay with you 'all' the time...."

"I want to be able to see you. All the time," he snorted stubbornly.

Kagome's mind was beginning to race frantically for an excuse when a sly grin suddenly tugged at her mouth.

"All the time? Even in the girls' bathroom?"

Bingo. Her comment had exactly the desired effect. Inuyasha blushed immediately, muttering a soft "Keh," as he turned his back on her. Kagome mentally high-fived herself for her quick thinking. That had to have gotten the message across.

Inuyasha kept his back to her, and there was a moment of silence. Suddenly, his ears swiveled back to point in her direction, but he kept his face turned stubbornly away.

"We're leaving the minute I say so, got it wench?"

Kagome didn't register his condition. She was too busy squealing happily and launching herself off the bed to violently wrap her arms around his waist and squeeze, her cheek pressing hard into his back. She felt his body go rigid, and she could have sworn that a small, very dog-like whimper of surprise escaped his lips. Ignoring his apparent discomfort, Kagome hugged him harder and rocked slighty back and forth.

"Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou THANKYOU!" she exclaimed, too happy at his acceptance to notice as a soft, accidental growl of contentment rumbled next to her ear. "I just know you'll have fun, Inuyasha! I promise!"

"Keh."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Dammit, Kagome, would you stop that god-awful screeching?? You're gonna make my ears bleed!"

"Then stop going so faaaaaaassst!" Kagome's pleading erupted into another scream as Inuyasha pushed off of another rooftop with his feet, the billowing sleeves of his haori flapping in the wind.

The hanyou rolled his eyes. He wasn't even going that fast, for cripes' sake!

Ok....so that wasn't entirely true. Maybe he was going just a 'little' bit swifter than normal......

"INUYASHA! Slow down!" Kagome begged, squeezing her arms so tight around his neck that he practically gagged.

"You're choking me, wench!" he gritted out, tightening his hands beneath her knees and shifting her higher on his back. She suddenly wrapped her legs around his middle and clung to him like bark on a tree. Inuyasha growled as a slight flush dusted his cheeks, but he agreeably slowed down and halted as he landed on the roof of the next building. Kagome was panting for breath, her arms shaking as they remained securely knotted around his neck.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she demanded angrily. "Why on earth are you going so FAST?"

"Keh. You said you were late," he offered lamely with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"Five minutes won't make any difference now! I'm in a dress, Inuyasha! This thing was not designed for riding around at break-neck speed on the back of a wild bucking hanyou!"

He snorted at the implication. "Seems to me I told you to change into something else! Ain't my fault you insisted on wearing that stupid thing!"

"I told you, I bought this especially for the dance, and I'm going to wear it, piggy-back ride or not!"

"Fine. Just don't blame me if the damn thing rips wide open," Inuyasha pumped his legs, hastening up to a much greater speed than was necessary before leaping off the edge of the building. Kagome let out another ear-piercing shriek as they sailed through the chilly autumn air.

_Hmph. Stupid wench. At least she had the sense to wear a jacket_, Inuyasha mentally remarked as the cold wind stung his face.

They went on in silence for a few minutes, Inuyasha effortlessly bounding from rooftop to rooftop, high above the bustling din of noise and light that he had come to associate with Kagome's era.

_I don't know how anybody can stand to live in this place. It's loud, it's smelly, and it's bright outside twenty-four seven._ Even as the thought crossed his mind, the glare from a streetlamp far below abruptly flashed in his eye, causing him to growl and blink repeatedly.

As irritating as Kagome's enormous village was, Inuyasha found that he wasn't able to focus on the obnoxious blares of car horns or the stench of exhaust fumes. He was far too distracted with his thoughts of Kagome. Still barely able to believe what had happened, he let his mind absently wander back to her bedroom....

_"Would you go to the dance with me?"_

His eyes had practically bugged out of their sockets when she asked him that. Never, not once, in all the time he had known her, had Kagome deliberately tried to include him in her life on this side of the well. He had wandered around in her time before, and of course he knew her family, and he had been to her school several times, and she had even taken him to that miraculous store where there were shelves upon shelves of every kind of instant ramen imaginable....but all of those times, Kagome had begrudgingly allowed him to tag along, like he was her annoying kid brother, or worse....like he was her pet dog, or something. And he was always, _always_ stuck wearing that damn cap that pinched his ears.

Now, she had actually made a point of asking him to go somewhere with her. And to something as apparently important to her as this dance, nonetheless!

To say that it had shocked him would be an understatement.

And then she had hugged him! His brain was still reeling from that. He had just been standing there with his back to her, heart palpitating uncontrollably as he marvelled at how she had intentionally asked him to her dance....and then, all of a sudden, her arms were around him, and her soft body was pressing into his back.... Inuyasha swallowed loudly as he flew off of another rooftop, hoping that Kagome couldn't hear it. He was grateful that his back had been to her when she hugged him. That way, she couldn't see the red-hot blush that had erupted all over his face....

"Stop! That's it down there!"

"Dammit, wench, I know where I'm going!"

They dropped down to light in the courtyard between the front entrance of the school and the street. The wide, grassy yard was deserted. Lights from the windows stretched in long rectangles out on the lawn, illuminating the courtyard in conjunction with the pale blue moonlight that was already beaming down. Inuyasha let Kagome slide off his back, carefully making sure she was steady before drawing his hands away.

"You're gonna break your ankle in those damn shoes," he remarked crossly, glancing down at her feet. He had to force himself not to stare at her legs.

"I'll have you know I'm quite good in heels," Kagome retorted with a grin. She walked backwards away from him, twirling in a delicate circle as if to prove to him her dexterity in the ridiculous shoes.

Inuyasha couldn't help it. He blatantly stared at her as she spun around in front of him.

He might not have been happy about her wearing that damn dress in public, but that didn't change the fact that she looked absolutely breathtaking in it. Try as he might, Inuyasha couldn't deny.....even to himself.....that the sleek garment accentuated her lithe body beautifully. She was positively stunning standing there in the moonlight, the faint autumn breeze wafting her long locks of raven hair, her dark eyes sparkling with obvious excitement and the blue lunar light glowing on her pale skin. In a weird, oddball sort of way, he even liked the fake cat-ears and drawn on whiskers. They were cute....in an off-beat, costumey, only-wearing-them-for-tonight kind of way.

"Hey," Kagome called to him, snapping him out of his reverie. He blinked and shook his head, willing himself to look only at her face. "Are you coming, Inuyasha?"

"Keh. Don't know how you talked me into this," he grumbled, crossing his arms as he caught up with her.

Kagome sighed happily, shifting the thin black jacket off her shoulders as they stepped through the front door. Inuyasha lamented lazily on how this was the first time he had actually gone inside the school building. Usually he was resigned to sitting alone on the rooftop, or maybe lingering in the courtyard.

Suddenly, without warning, Kagome took his hand and gave it a light squeeze, smiling warmly in his direction.

"Relax. You're going to do just fine."

Inuyasha blinked. How did she do that? How did she know exactly what he was worried about, when he had barely even admitted it to himself?

_Keh. I don't care what anybody at her dumbass school thinks. Just a bunch of humans. What do I care if her friends like me or not?_

Despite his constant thoughts of denial, Inuyasha's shoulders slumped and his ears drooped as he and Kagome prepared to enter the front hallway of her school. Without realizing it, he had squeezed her hand in return of the gesture, and her small fingers were still laced through his as they made their entrance.

_Kagome..... _

_You really wanted me to come with you?_

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Miroku groaned softly as an unwelcome sensation of raw, stinging pain shot up and down his right side, burning from his belly all the way to the nape of his neck.

_That blasted youkai sure did a number on me....._

Wincing from the dull ache, he slowly sat up, yawning groggily and blinking at the harsh light of the campfire. Judging by the position of the almost full moon hanging over the horizon, it was about four hours to midnight. The tired monk yawned again, gingerly stretching his arms while being mindful of his still tender stitches. His glazed violet eyes fell upon Sango, who was leaning with her back to a tree trunk and had apparently dozed off. He couldn't help but smile warmly at the way her chin rested limply on her chest, her warm, rosy eyes closed and her breathing shallow and even. Shippou was snuggled up in her lap, and Kilala was resting beside her in the grass.

Turning himself so that he could warm his numb hands by the fire, Miroku inadvertently shivered and tensed his shoulders.

_The nights are getting colder,_ he thought with a slight grimace. _Before we know it, it'll be winter. That should make camping outside especially fun......_

The monk laughed, in spite of himself. It seemed like ages ago that he had been a simple itinerant monk, wandering from town to town all by his lonesome. In reality, that had been just over a year ago. Had the cold weather bothered him then, too? Of course, back then he hadn't spent nearly as much of his time out in the wilderness as he did now. Aside from the little matter of the cursed black void in the palm of his right hand, his life had been fairly straightforward for a monk; traversing the countryside on foot, stopping to offer his services in towns and villages, performing an excorcism here and there, reading the palm of some young, shapely woman now and again......

"Miroku? You up?"

He turned to see Sango blinking and tracing the contours of one eye with her finger, slowly rousing herself from her light doze.

Well, that was one thing that had definitely been missing from his old life. He hadn't known Sango back then.

Miroku nodded, rising to his feet to stride across the campsite and seat himself beside her.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm afraid this injury has made sleeping on the ground a rather bothersome undertaking."

Sango abruptly shivered, as if noticing the cold for the first time. With a sudden impish gleam flashing in his eyes, Miroku innocently scooted closer to her, lifting his arm in preparation to drape it across her shoulders.

"Sango, my sweet, is the chill night air too harsh for you, as well?"

"Don't even think about it," the taijiya cut him off, shooting him a dark warning glare the moment before his arm touched her.

Miroku sighed and withdrew the appendage.

"You mistake my concern for dishonorable intentions," he murmured with far too innocent an expression on his face.

Sango laughed aloud, a short, cruel sound cut short by a stinging glare in Miroku's direction.

"I don't think I'm mistaking a single thing, monk. If anything, I think I understand your intentions a little too well."

He sighed again, shaking his head.

"Enough to make a grown man cry, the way everyone accuses me."

"I'm not accusing you of anythi.....LECHER!" Sango abruptly turned and landed a balled fist squarely in Miroku's jaw as she felt the same old wandering hand light near her backside. Miroku toppled to the ground, the assaulted portion of his face glowing bright red. Sighing heavily, he gingerly picked himself up again.

"You see? Mistaking my intentions yet again."

Sango hurriedly opened her mouth to say something in retort when a squirming disturbance in her lap stopped her. Looking down, she frowned sympathetically as Shippou wearily opened his eyes, sitting up and scratching his head as he yawned.

"Happy now, hentai? You woke up Shippou."

"But Sango, weren't you the one who....."

"You two still up?" Shippou interrupted, sleepily rubbing his eyes as he climbed down from Sango's lap. "What time is it?"

"Not very late," Miroku answered truthfully. "But with the days getting shorter and the nights getting colder, I believe it's only second nature to begin falling asleep earlier."

"Can we go back to the village?" Shippou whined, hugging himself and plopping down near the fire as a bitterly cold wind whistled through the trees.

Sango and Miroku exchanged looks.

"Well....." Sango began uneasily. "Don't you think....I mean, maybe we ought to wait for Inuyasha and Kagome?"

Miroku didn't attempt to conceal a very un-monk-like snort as he jerked his head in the direction of the Bone Eater's well.

"If I know Inuyasha, he's either eating dirt by now from a well deserved sit command, or he's caved and decided to stay the night in Kagome's era. Either way, I highly doubt we'll see either of them before morning."

"And I'm _cooooold!_" Shippou protested. "Inuyasha's such a blockhead! Why can't he just apologize and bring her back right away? I miss her."

"So do we, but I'm afraid it can't be helped," Sango sighed. "Inuyasha's apologies do seem to have a way of dragging out, don't they?"

"Average length is forty-one hours, by my count," Miroku remarked.

Both the kitsune and the taijiya stared at him with wide-eyed, dead-pan expressions.

"You actually figured that out?" Sango asked blankly.

"What?" the monk shrugged. "Gotta pass the time somehow when we're waiting for those two to make up."

Sango sighed, rising resolutely to her feet, waking the still slumbering Kilala in the process. She slung her Hiraikotsu over one shoulder and began gathering up the few paltry possessions scattered around the campsite.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to stay the night at Kaede's," she mumbled defeatedly. "If they do come back, we'll be close enough for Inuyasha to track down."

"Yay!" Shippou squealed exuberantly, scaling up Miroku's side as the monk rose to his feet, leaning heavily on his staff. He winced slightly when the little kitsune perched himself on his left shoulder.

"How's the wound?" Shippou inquired curiously. Miroku forced a smile and patted his head.

"Getting better. Thank heaven for Kagome's jewel shard."

Suddenly, before anyone could say another word, an unnaturally strong gust of wind tore through the clearing, completely extinguishing the campfire and nearly knocking the three companions to the ground. For a brief moment, the area was bathed in darkness, with nothing but the pale moonlight to cast any illumination; then, there was a brilliant flash of light and heat, accompanied by the fierce warning growl of a cat youkai. Kilala had transformed into her enormous body, and the flickering flames on her feet and tail lit up the clearing.

"What was _that_?" Miroku asked, lowering the arm that he had lifted to shield his eyes from the blast.

Sango had already pulled her Hiraikotsu off her back, and was holding it poised for attack.

"Something's wrong," she muttered seriously, her eyes darting along the dark rim of the forest. "I sense a demonic aura."

The next instant, the familiar sensation hit Miroku as well; the silent, invisible weight of a demon's presence, sinking down like a rock in his stomach. He shuddered, gripping his staff tighter.

"A strong one," he added.

"Where is it?" Shippou whispered, digging his tiny clawed fingers into the fabric of Miroku's robes.

"I don't know, Shippou," the monk answered, eyes narrowing warily as he struggled to see in the semi-darkness. "But it's close."

A/N; Yes, yet another cliff-hanger. Mwahahahaha. Reviews make me smile!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N; Fier, alle. Lesen sie.

Disclaimer; Rumiko Takahashi owns everything and I own nothing, mwahahaha.

_Chapter 4_

The second that he and Kagome had stepped through the double glass doors at the front entrance to the enormous school building, Inuyasha stopped. He halted so quickly that Kagome nearly stumbled, jerking back and letting her fingers slip away from his. She looked back at him over her shoulder with a curious expression.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

The hanyou didn't answer. His eyes had gone wide with both surprise and irritation, and his whole body was rigid as a post. He cringed inwardly, flexing his claws and grinding his teeth. Kagome turned around, holding her black jacket in her hands and staring concernedly at him.

"Inuyasha?"

Something was pounding in his head.

Hard.

It had hit him the instant he set foot in the building. It was like someone was banging his skull with a hammer from the inside. The blows reverbated through his whole body, rattling his bones and buzzing in his stomach so vibrantly he almost felt queasy. The worst, by far, however, were his ears. He couldn't remember a time when they had hurt so much. It felt like his eardrums were seconds away from bursting. Shocking his body out of its frozen torpor, Inuyasha let out a noise halfway between a snarl and a whimper and seized his head with both hands, pressing his palms flat over his ears in attempt to block out the unbearable pounding.

"Inuyasha! Are you ok? What's the matter?" he could faintly hear Kagome speaking to him, her voice full of worry as she stepped towards him.

"Goddammit, what is that _NOISE_?" he growled out, fighting the overwhelming urge to curl into a ball on the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the horrible sound to stop.

Inuyasha looked like he was going collapse. He was gripping the sides of his head so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Kagome was automatically crushed under a heavy wave of guilt as she realized what the problem was. How could she have possibly been so stupid?

"Inuyasha!" she cried, cupping her hands around her mouth in an effort to force her voice through his palms. "It's the music!"

He flinched, hunching his shoulders and trembling slightly as the heavy pounding of the bass shook the floor beneath their feet. The gymansium where the DJ and speakers were situated was just down the hall, not twenty yards off.

_Kagome, you idiot, how could you not see this coming? Of course it hurts his ears! Think about how loud it is to you! Now magnify that by about two hundred times, and that's how it feels to him!_

The miko bit her lip nervously, not knowing what to do to assuage his suffering. The thundering bass of the music seemed to be getting worse and worse. Just their luck; they had come in during a heavy metal song. Kagome realized that the only solution was to get Inuyasha out of the building. She was just going to have to abandon her plan; there was no way she could subject him to this kind of torture all night.

Then, just as she was about to turn the hanyou around and steer him out the door before he crushed his own skull beneath the pressure of his hands, the hammering music miraculously stopped.

Kagome breathed a huge sigh of relief as the quiet strains of a slow-dancing song floated down the hallway and through the open doors into the little foyer where they stood. Turning to face Inuyasha, she saw that he was still holding his ears with his eyes squeezed shut. She could have sworn she heard him whimper, just for an instant.

"It's ok! The song's over!" she said, raising her voice just slightly. She reached out and took his wrists in her hands, forcing his arms down to his sides. Unsurprisingly, he was reluctant to let go. When she at last coaxed his hands away from his ears, he shot her the ugliest glare she had yet seen that night.

"What the hell, wench! You trying to kill me??"

"I'm sorry! I forgot all about the music!"

_"Music?_ You call that shit _music!?"_

"It's normally not that bad....it was just the one song, I swear! They usually only play one or two metal songs; the rest isn't like that at all."

He frowned sulkily, eyes lifting over her shoulder to scowl down the hall towards the unknown source of the noise.

"Why in hell do they play it so LOUD?"

Kagome shrugged. "It's a dance. That's just what they do."

He narrowed his eyes. "This dance thing of yours is getting less appealing every minute."

"Oh, please come in with me?" she begged, opening her eyes wide and batting her eyelashes. "I promise the music won't all be like that. See, listen. This song doesn't hurt, does it?"

Inuyasha lowered his eyebrows thoughtfully in consideration. After a moment, he turned his head away. "No," he admitted begrudgingly. Kagome smiled brightly.

"Good! Now will you come in with me? Please?"

He tilted one slanted golden eye in her direction, hands indignantly fastened on his hips. After a moment, he snorted and looked away again.

"If it'll shut you up, wench."

Kagome squealed happily as she seized his hand and dragged him through the doors into the hallway. She heard him sigh irrately behind her, but he obediently followed.

The hallway they walked through was one of the few in the school that wasn't being utitilized for the dance. It really was more of an all-out festival than a simple school dance; Kagome knew there weren't many other places in the school that were deserted. All the hallways were filled with game and food booths, most operated by volunteer students. The small gynasium had been decorated and designated for the actual dancing, with loudspeakers and a DJ. It was from there that the overly-loud music was filling the surrounding halls. The larger gym had been set up for games and contests, and the bulk of the food was being sold in the cafeteria. Kagome grimaced slightly as her thoughts drifted up to the main hall on the third floor.....that was where the _thing_ was set up, the thing that she was going to have to spend a good chunk of the night working at.....

"Check your coat?" a voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

Kagome jerked from her reverie and quickly stopped walking. Inuyasha swore under his breath as he stumbled, bumping into her from behind.

"Warn me before you do that!" he growled irrately.

Kagome ignored him, turning her attention to the teenaged boy who had spoken to her. He was sitting at a desk outside the gymn doors, a cash box and a thick roll of purple number tickets placed in front of him. Behind him were several long coat racks, already filled nearly to capacity.

"Sure....thanks," Kagome answered, smiling appreciatively as she handed over her black jacket and her hand bag, first removing a folded wad of money from her purse. The boy accepted them and tore off a single ticket, ripping it in half and handing one to her. He paper-clipped the other half to her jacket before rising to slip her belongings on a hanger. Kagome glanced down at her ticket.

_259._

She made a face before folding the stub in half and tucking it in the one place where she wouldn't lose it; the top of her dress, beside the small vial of shards from the sacred jewel.

_Guess everyone else is already here...._ she thought absently.

The boy returned to the desk, turning to look sideways at Inuyasha. A slight waver of intimidation crossed his face, and Kagome glanced at the hanyou only to sigh exasperatedly and roll her eyes. He was shooting the coat-check boy an unnecessarily bone chilling glare.

"Check your....uh....sword?" the poor teenager swallowed nervously as his eyes fell on the Tetsusaiga.

Inuyasha instantly seized the hilt of the sword, a low growl escaping his bared teeth.

"Don't even think about it, ya little....."

"No, that's ok! Thanks anyway!" Kagome quickly interjected with a high, fabricated laugh. "It's not real, of course! It just....uh....goes with his costume!"

The boy blinked, staring at the still glowering Inuyasha.

"Rrrrright....er, that'll be eight dollars for the two of you."

Kagome handed over the money, then extended her hand for the boy to stamp it. After he had applied the ink stamp, he turned expectantly to Inuyasha. The hanyou simply stared.

"Hold out your hand," Kagome hissed out of the corner of her mouth. Inuyasha gave her a look, but reluctantly complied with her instructions.

The second his hand was stamped, Kagome seized Inuyasha by the arm and dragged him down the hallway, turning to duck into the dark security of the gymnasium. Once inside, she heaved a loud sigh of relief mingled with frustration.

"'Costume??'" Inuyasha snorted angrily. "I've never worn a costume in my life, wench!"

"Will you just cool it?" Kagome replied sternly. "He's just the coat-check guy! You didn't have to go all primal on him!"

"He was trying to take my Tetsusaiga!"

"He was only going to hold it for you! It's his job!"

The hanyou stubbornly snorted again, crossing his arms. "I don't give a rat's ass what his _job_ is. Nobody holds Tetsusaiga but me."

Kagome rolled her eyes.

_Men and their toys!_

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Miroku! _Look out!_ _HIRAIKOTSU!"_

The monk ducked out of the way just as the enormous boomerang cut the air above his head, whirling into the dark forest behind him. The weapon curved a wide arch through the blackness, then swung back and was caught in Sango's fist.

"I could have sworn it was there!" she muttered angrily as her rosy eyes scanned restlessly around the clearing.

"This demonic aura....it seems familiar to me," Miroku said quietly.

The taijiya nodded. "I thought so, too."

Miroku braced himself with his staff, his stance poised and ready for attack.

"Show yourself, demon!" he shouted into the darkness.

Nothing.

The slight wind ruffled the hair, clothes and fur of the clearing's three occupants. A cricket chirped somewhere in the grass. Still there was no sign of the youkai.

"It's there, I know it is," Sango whispered. "Why isn't it attacking?"

Shippou squirmed nervously on Miroku's shoulder. Another breeze rustled the tree branches above them.

"Damn!" the monk murmured, his gaze circling around him. "The aura just keeps getting stronger! It's coming closer and closer, but I can't see a thing!"

Suddenly, the stillness of the clearing was cut by a sharp gasp from Sango.

"MIROKU, BEHIND YOU!"

The monk whirled around in time to see the long, lithe body of an enormous snake darting towards him through the air. Shippou yelped and leapt from his shoulder as Miroku raised his staff and swung at the body of the serpent, knocking it aside precious seconds before it could strike his throat. The snake hissed angrily as it flopped on the grass twelve feet away. Miroku instinctively backed away from it, drawing close to Sango and Kilala.

The serpent's scales were a brilliant, crimson red, shining like millions of glittering diamonds in the blue moonlight. It's body was at least forty feet long, and as thick as a tree trunk. It's flat reptilian head was the size of a small boulder. The snake youkai hissed continually as it recovered from Miroku's blow, slowing slithering towards them through the grass. It's sapphire blue eyes gleamed hungrily in their direction.

"Stand back!" Miroku ordered, reaching for the rosary beads wrapped securely around his right hand.

"No, Miroku! Your injury!" Sango cried.

But the monk had already pulled away the sacred beads and fold of navy blue fabric, revealing the black hole in his right palm that signified the presence of the curse of the Kazaana. With a slight groan of effort, Miroku aimed his hand at the approaching snake youkai. Instantly, the gale force winds swirled into a roaring maelstrom, the tunnel of air centered around the hole in his palm. Rocks and chunks of grass-covered sod were ripped free of the ground and sucked into the empty void, and the youkai emitted a piercing scream as it was slowly dragged forward.

Suddenly, a shooting pain flashed through Miroku's side, coursing from his wrist all the way to the gouges on his back. He let out a cry of agony as he dropped to his knees, his right arm spasming as he hastily sealed the Kazaana.

"You can't use the Wind Tunnel! It's putting too much strain on your right side!" Sango dropped down beside him, worriedly studying the grimace of pain etched on his face.

"Damn...." he muttered, weakly opening his eyes. "I can't fight....it's too soon."

"Stay down, Miroku! _Fox fire!_" Shippou hollered, jumping in front of them as a cloud of blue flame shot from his tiny hands.

The attack struck the recovering youkai between the eyes. It hissed angrily, thrashing it's scaly head until the fire disippated. Shippou yelped and shot behind Kilala as the snake continued it's approach.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango bolted to her feet and threw her weapon vertically. The boomerang sliced the air and made contact with the snake, skimming the top of it's head and slicing it's skull open. The youkai screeched again as black blood oozed and flowed over its scales.

"It keeps making that noise," Sango remarked as she stared at the momentarily delayed beast. "That isn't the cry of a snake youkai...."

"Sango, watch out!"

The snake suddenly darted forward, striking with one lightning fast motion. Sango darted aside just as she caught the Hiraikotsu on the backswing, the snake's enormous body sliding deliberately past her towards Miroku. The monk rolled out of the way just in time as the enormous hooked fangs of the viper sank into the dirt.

With a snarling growl and burst of fire, Kilala pounced. Her enormous teeth sank into the serpent's neck, just behind the head, pinning it to the ground. The youkai hissed and wriggled, it's lengthy body squirming violently to free itself. Sango quickly darted forward and drew the demon-slayer's sword that she kept hidden beneath her clothes. With one quick, downward motion, she plunged the blade into the snake's body, forcing it through until she felt it pierce the ground. Kilala was thrown aside with one final jerk of the youkai's head. The snake turned it sight's again on Miroku, who was crouching on the ground a few feet away. The monstrous reptile shot forward to strike again, but was jerked to an abrupt stop by the sword that kept it pinned to the ground.

Miroku scrambled to his feet, backing away from the trapped snake. It hissed and screamed, violently jerking it's slippery body in every direction in an attempt to free itself from Sango's sword, but it remained fastened securely to the ground. Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kilala regrouped on the far end of the clearing, out of reach of either end of the youkai's body.

Sango was breathing heavily, her eyes fixed on the snake. Shippou hurriedly scaled up Miroku's side and perched on his shoulder.

"You ok, Miroku? The Wind Tunnel didn't tear your stitches, did it?"

"No....I don't think so," but even as he answered, Miroku seized his ribcage with one hand, wincing and sucking air through clenched teeth. When he drew his hand away, there were traces of blood on his fingers.

"Damn that youkai," Sango muttered, leaning over to more closely inspect his side. The blood was staining through the thick fabric of his monk robes. "Come on. We'd better finish this demon off and get you to Kaede's."

The taijiya once again raised her Hiraikotsu, turning to the trapped serpent and preparing to deliver the killing blow. As if sensing her intention, the snake fought even more fervently against the sword that kept it pinned. Yet all the while it struggled to break free, it continued to strike it's head forward at Miroku, trying desperately to reach the monk with it's glistening venomous fangs.

"Why does it only keep going after Miroku?" Shippou asked quizzically.

"I've been wondering that myself," the monk remarked, edging further away from the thrashing youkai. Suddenly, he made a face and lifted his free hand to lightly smack himself on the forehead. "Oh, of course......it's coming for the jewel shard Kagome embedded in my back!"

"I'll put a stop to that right now," Sango uttered darkly. "HIRAI...."

But before she could hurl the weapon, ending the battle once and for all, there was a sudden gust of powerful wind, and a brilliant demonic energy began to glow and crackle around the body of the serpent. Sango dug her Hiraikotsu into the ground, bracing herself against it to keep from being blown back by the swell of the dark aura.

"What's it doing?" Shippou shouted, his small voice all but lost in the howling gale.

The next second, there was a blinding flash of white light, and with a final scream the wind died down, and the air became still again.

The glowing swirl of energy abruptly faded, and four pairs of eyes opened simultaneously, blinking in confusion. Sango's jaw dropped as she stared into the clearing, her eyes narrow in confusion and disbelief.

"Where....where did it go?"

Miroku and Shippou both trolled their gazes slowly around the empty stretch of grass around the Bone-Eater's well. Their expressions of surprise mirrored Sango's perfectly.

"It's just....gone. Like it disappeared," Miroku said blankly. Suddenly, Shippou jumped in alarm and began tugging at the neck of the monk's robes.

"Look!" he cried, pointing towards the sky. "Look up there!"

About twelve or fifteen feet above their heads, a black hawk was circling in the sky. It made several passes around the clearing before letting out an enraged shriek, then it flapped its wings madly and soared upward, vanishing in the inky night sky.

Sango slowly lowered her eyes back to the ground, fixed on the patch of grass where the enormous serpent youkai had been only moments before. Her taijiya sword stood in solitude, still embedded in the ground. The pale blue moonlight caused the blade to glimmer with a shining, metallic glow.

"Guys.....I don't think that was an ordinary snake," the demon-slayer murmured beneath her breath.

A/N; Soooo yeah....I still have more chapters of this that I'm planning to post, but just to be fair, I want to let you all know that the chances of me finishing this are pretty slim. I'm way too busy right now and I have other fics I want to finish first.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Inuyasha had never seen so many people crammed into one place in his entire life. And sure enough, practically every single one of them was wearing some variation of the same fake animal ears as Kagome.

"This is what you _had_ to go to?" he demanded, blankly staring across the sea of people in the huge room, trying to mask his curiosity.

"Try to keep an open mind," Kagome sighed, once again lacing her fingers through his as she led him deeper into the room.

"Keh. Why you think this is fun is beyond me."

Yet even as he spoke, Inuyasha was surveying the room in suppressed awe. He had never seen a ceiling so high. Hell, he could have leapt around in here and not even come close to hitting it. The room was almost completely dark; his hanyou eyes could see quite clearly, but the humans in the room probably had to squint just to make out their neighbors' faces. In fact the only sources of light came from the two doorways that opened into the hall and the strange, blaring lights fixed in one end of the room. Inuyasha realized with a slight quirk of an eyebrow that those lights were systematically changing colors. One minute they were red, the next they were blue, then pink, then green, then yellow, then back to red again. The hanyou blinked, spots suddenly appearing before his eyes. He growled in his throat and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his free hand. He made a mental note not to stare at the changing lights.

The next thing he realized about the enormous dark room what that it was uncomfortably noisy. Aside from the so-called _music,_ which was loud enough in itself, there was also the insatiable din of hundreds upon hundreds of voices, each one laughing and chattering and calling to other voices across the room. It was enough to make his ears throb.

_At least it's better than that damn pounding before_, he thought admittedly. He could even sort of make out a melody in the song that was playing now....

"Inuyasha? You ok?"

Kagome's voice interrupted his thoughts. He shrugged nonchalantly, folding his arms as she dropped his hand.

"I'd be a lot better if I wasn't stuck in a crowd of humans wearing fake dumb-as-hell ears."

To his surprise, Kagome giggled. His body went instantly rigid as she unexpectedly reached up and tweaked his right ear between her thumb and index finger.

"Then you should be proud. You're the only person in here with the genuine article," she smiled.

Fighting against the immediate blush that heated his face, he grumbled and jerked away from her hand, turning his face away. It always caught him by surprise when Kagome touched his ears, and his first instinct was always to pull away from her. If he didn't, he might get sucked into the comforting sensation of her fingers and do something he would sorely regret.....like start nuzzling her hand, or jerking his knee, or something.....

Eager to shift focus away from his ears, Inuyasha busied himself in scanning his eyes around the room. He and Kagome were standing off to the side of the main bulk of the crowd.

"Oi, wench," he said, automatically raising his voice to be heard over the blaring music, "What's that thing?"

Kagome turned to look in the direction his finger was pointing.

"That's the sound system," she explained. "The guy working behind it is the disc-jockey. The DJ. He decides what songs to play, and the music comes out of those speakers."

"Keh. I oughta punch his face in for playing that damn pounding song."

Kagome sighed, but he didn't miss the hint of a smile that tugged at her lips.

"I told you, that was metal. It's supposed to sound like that."

"Last time I checked, metal don't make any sound at all unless you're hitting something with it."

"Not _actual_ metal, _heavy metal_. It's the name for a type of music with really loud bass."

Inuyasha shot her a suspicious glance. "Do _you_ like it?"

Kagome blinked, obviously not expecting that question. "Er...no, not especially."

"Good."

There was another moment of silence between them, filled by the never-ending ruckus of music and voices.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"What exactly are we supposed to do now that we're here?"

Inuyasha was mildly startled to see a deep flush darkening Kagome's cheeks beneath the drawn on whiskers. She began fidgeting with her hands and cast her gaze down to the floor.

"Well....um....I guess....we're supposed to dance," she squeaked quietly, clearing her throat.

He blinked. "Dance?"

"Yeah....I mean, if you want to....."

Inuyasha blinked again, confused by Kagome's sudden bout of shyness. For some reason, that blush on her face was not sitting well with him....what was embarrassing about dancing? Not that he had ever really done it before.....

"Keh," he snorted. "Might as well do something while we're here. Long as I don't have to look stupid or nothin'...."

Kagome looked up, a light smile of disbelief on her shiny lips. "Really? You want to?"

"Don't read too much into it, wench. We're just killing time," he muttered. "So how am I supposed to do this?"

The blush started up again. Inuyasha gave her a curious look. She was still smiling, but her face seemed to have turned a permanent shade of salmon pink.

"It's a slow dance right now," she practically whispered.

Inuyasha stared. He could not for the life of him figure out why she was acting so bashful....and so happy about it at the same time.

"So? What does that mean?" he asked. "We just dance slowly?"

"Well....sort of...."

"Dammit, Kagome, just spit it out! Show me what I'm supposed to do so we can do it and get the hell outta here!"

She swallowed thickly. "Ok...."

Then, with absolutely no warning at all, Kagome stepped forward until she was right under Inuyasha's nose. She was so close that her bangs tickled his chin and almost made him sneeze. Then she reached out and took his right hand with her left, and lifted it until it hung in mid-air at their side. Inuyasha watched in paralyzed shock as she took his left hand with her right, and he couldn't stop himself from gulping loudly when she placed his palm on her waist and pressed it there firmly, indicating that he should keep it there. He obeyed, but his fingers twitched uncontrollably, the soft curve of her hip fitting smoothly in his palm, the silky material of her dress flat and warm under his skin....

"Uhh....K-Kagome? What are you doing?" his voice cracked as he spoke.

"This is a slow dance," she explained quietly. Inuyasha gulped again.

"Oh...."

His heart hammering wildly and his face quickly turning red, Inuyasha nervously glanced around them to look at the other dancing couples. How could he have not noticed the way they were all holding each other and rocking back and forth? _That_ was a slow dance?? _THAT_ was what he had agreed to??

"Inuyasha? I'm sorry," Kagome stammered quickly, tensing under his grasp as she obviously sensed his discomfort. "We don't have to...."

"No," he cut her off, face reddening even further.

She blinked in surprise.

No....he didn't want to stop....

"I mean..." he fumbled over his words, desperately trying to keep his voice flat and calm even as he felt like his stomach was going to burst from the flock of butterflies that had appeared; "....er....as long as we're here...."

Kagome nodded, her brows slightly raised, but she didn't question his response.

"Ok....so you just hold me like this....and I put my hand on your shoulder...." she delicately draped her hand over the red shoulder of his haori. Inuyasha swallowed for a third time. "....and we just sort of sway and walk in time with the music."

Inuyasha nodded. _Ok,_ he thought, struggling to focus his mind anywhere but on Kagome's waist; _In time with the music. Just focus on the music. Find the beat. Don't think about anything else. Don't think about her hips....under your hand.....in that dress....swaying back and forth.._...

"Are you sure you're ok, Inuyasha? You look nervous."

"Me?" he croaked, his throat cotton-dry. He cleared it hastily. "I'm just fine, wench."

Kagome smiled. "I'm glad. You're not a bad dancer, you know."

"Keh."

He knew she was just saying it to be nice. He was stumbling all over the place, cursing under his breath every time she giggled at his clumsiness. The limbs that were so deftly accurate and nimble in cutting down demons were painfully ungraceful when it came to dancing in a small, controlled circle.

They continued to rock back and forth according to the slow, romantic rhythm of the song. Inuyasha awkwardly shuffled his bare feet, willing himself not to step on her toes. They turned in a slow, clockwise circle, the hanyou's hands growing tenser and tenser with each step. He quickly realized that standing so close to Kagome and holding her the way that he was meant that he really had nowhere to look but directly into her face. Even in the semi-darkness, her sparkling chocolate-brown eyes flashed like diamonds, lighting up every time she smiled.

"Inuyasha?"

"What?" he snapped, doing his best to sound gruff and failing miserably.

"This isn't so bad, is it?"

The hanyou blushed fiercely. "Yes it is."

Kagome laughed, clearly seeing through his facade.

"If it's really that awful, you can leave any time."

He snorted. "And leave you here with all these slobbering bastards? Fat chance. I can smell their hormones from here."

Another giggle. "Thought you said you didn't care who looks at me."

He scowled, then snorted dismissively. "I don't. I just want you back through the well in one piece."

Kagome sighed, and before he knew what was happening she had suddenly pressed closer to him and leaned her head against his chest.

Inuyasha went rigid as a board. His feet abruptly stopped moving, and his heart palpitated so violently he was sure it was going to burst from his chest any second.

"Ka....Kagome?"

She either didn't notice or didn't care that they had stopped dancing. She sighed again, and leaned wholly against him with her ear over his heart.

"For what it's worth, Inuyasha?" she said quietly. "I'm really glad you decided to come."

Inuyasha stared down at the top of her head, the false black cat-ears nearly poking him in the face. He didn't know what to say or do. More than anything, he simply wanted to stay the way they were at that instant. Without realizing it, he moved the hand that was on her waist and began softly rubbing the small of her back.

"You sure you didn't hurt yourself? When you fell on the stairs?" he said in an almost-whisper.

Kagome laughed quietly. "I'm positive. Nice of you to ask, though."

"Keh."

She slowly lifted her head off his chest and raised her gaze to meet his. Inuyasha stared longingly into her eyes, very aware that their faces were a scant few inches apart.

_Kagome....if you only knew.....how happy I am you asked me....._

Before either of them realized it, their faces began drawing closer. Inuyasha let his eyelids drop, his pulse pounding and the breath catching in his throat. They were close....closer....closer....

"KAGOME!"

"Aaaahh!!" she yelped in surprise.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha snarled as he stumbled backwards and nearly tripped. He and Kagome pushed themselves away from each other as if they'd been shocked. The hanyou regained his balance and gripped his thundering chest with one hand, panting from the near heart attack induced by the three very loud, very high-pitched voices that had shrieked Kagome's name.

The miko's face had turned a brighter red than his haori, and she was holding her cheeks in her hands.

"Ayumi! Eri! Yuka! You startled me!"

Three girls had circled themselves in front of Kagome, each one clutching a different part of her body as if in effort to keep her from running away. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the three intruders as a low growl of frustration and anger rumbled deep in his chest.

_Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! That was so CLOSE! Who the hell are these bitches, anyway??_

The thwarted hanyou scowled, stepping up behind Kagome and crossing his arms protectively. He peered over her shoulder to study the faces of the three girls, who had apparently not even noticed him standing there.

_These must be the friends she's always going on about...._

The three girls all seemed to be about Kagome's age. Each of them had varying shades of black hair, all cut in shorter styles than Kagome's. He noticed with an inward cringe that they were also all wearing dresses somewhat similar to hers. The cuts and colors were different, but the intention was obviously the same; they were meant to show skin. He glanced quickly at the line of their heads. Sure enough; each one was wearing a pair of fake cat-ears. The one on the left was brown, the middle white, and the right one grey. He also noticed with a nonplussed blink that the one with white ears was even wearing a false tail to match.

_Ok...._ he thought reluctantly, pressing his ears flat to his head to block out the girls' incessant chatter; _....so maybe Kagome did go reasonably conservative....._

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Shippou blinked his big emerald eyes twice as he stared curiously across the firepit at Sango and Miroku.

"A shape-shifter?" he repeated, his expression blank.

Sango nodded as she carefully traced her fingers over Miroku's skin, appraising the damage done in the battle against the snake youkai. Luckily, the monk hadn't torn any of his stitches by using the Wind Tunnel, but some of the scratches had started up bleeding again and needed to be re-bandaged.

"Although I can't be one hundred percent positive, I think there's a fair chance that that was no ordinary serpent," the taijiya explained. She sat back, satisfied with the patch-job on Miroku's wounds. "The demon kept making sounds very unnatural to a snake youkai. And then when it vanished in that flash of demonic power......I don't think it actually disappeared, at all. I think it changed into the form of that hawk that Shippou saw flying away."

Miroku lifted one hand to stroke pensively at his chin. A sudden flush stole on Sango's cheeks as she realized he was still bare-chested. She hastily turned away and busied herself with packing up Kagome's medical supplies.

"A shape-shifting youkai," the monk murmured, more to himself than to the other occupants of the hut. "I've never even heard of such a thing....have you, Kaede?"

"Aye, I believe the village crossed paths with one some years ago, back when Inuyasha was still bound to the sacred tree. It appeared from within the forest, and the villagers were preparing to flee when we realized that the demon was not attacking."

"Not attacking? Then what did it do?" Miroku asked.

The old miko shrugged, lowering her gaze back to the small fire that she was stoking. "Not a thing. Aye, twas an odd demon indeed; it simply circled round the outskirts of our village in the form of a monstrous badger. It neither ravaged the crops, nor made an advance towards any living creature. Once it had surveyed the area, there was a quaking surge of wind and demonic energy. It changed into an ordinary stag before mine eyes, and then vanished again into the forest."

Miroku leaned back against the wooden wall of the hut, his hand practically glued to his chin as he stared at the flames in intense concentration.

"A badger youkai, you say."

Kaede nodded. "Bears that some meaning to ye?"

"We fought a badger youkai nearby here about two days ago," Sango explained. "I wonder if it's just a coincidence...."

Miroku looked up. "Sango, of any of us, you have the most extensive knowledge of the varying types of demons and their powers. Could you tell us anything more about these shape-shifting youkai?"

The taijiya nodded in agreement, settling herself on her knees to face the three eager listeners positioned around the small fire in Kaede's cottage.

"Many youkai have the ability to change their forms or appearance," she began, a serious look darkening her rosy eyes.

Shippou suddenly brightened, lifting his chin proudly. "Like kitsunes!" he chimed in. Sango shot him a smile and nodded.

"Yes, like kitsunes. But shape-shifters are something entirely different. Demons that can transform like Shippou merely change their outer appearance, and such transformations are strictly temporary. They can also be given away by certain tells....like Shippou with his fox-tail. Shape-shifting youkai, however, don't just alter the way they look; they actually change into the creatures they're impersonating, through and through."

Miroku frowned. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Think of it this way," Sango explained patiently. "When Shippou transforms, Inuyasha is still able to detect him by his sense of smell, right? The transformation does nothing to hide Shippou's scent."

The red-haired kitsune winced slightly. "That's for sure. Inuyasha never has any trouble tracking me down....especially when he's grouchy...."

"...but with a shape-shifting youkai, Inuyasha would be completely unable to follow the demon's scent after it changed into another form, because it would take on the scent of that form. A shape-shifter doesn't just look like the transformation; it truly becomes the transformation. And it can stay in any form it wants for an indefinite period of time."

Miroku nodded slowly. "I believe I'm grasping the concept. What you're saying means that a shape-shifter can also take on the abilities and powers of whatever it's changed into, correct?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Then tell me, what is it that keeps the shape-shifter its own entity? If there is nothing about another youkai that it cannot imitate, then what remains to keep it a shape-shifter?"

Sango narrowed her eyes in thought. "Nothing but its mentality. Shape-shifting youkai are a strange breed. They're unlike any other variety of demon. They are too intelligent to merely be classified as beasts; but not sentient enough to rightfully be called beings, either. They do not feel or reason like humans or sentient youkai do; nor do they blindly kill and devour. Kaede, that is why the shape-shifter you encountered did not attack the village. Shape-shifting youkai will only fight if there is something they wish to claim or possess; prey, a valuable item, anything.....but if they can find nothing that they desire, they will simply pass by."

"The snake youkai was after Kagome's jewel shard," Shippou pointed out. "It only tried to attack Miroku."

"Exactly," Sango confirmed. "It had no interest in us or Kilala."

"Is there no way to distinguish one of these youkai?" Kaede spoke up. "No way that they may be recognized?"

Sango sadly shook her head. "Unfortunately, that's what makes a shape-shifter so dangerous. There are only two ways to determine one from an ordinary youkai or animal. First, you may be lucky enough to catch it between transformations; as we did with the serpent, when it became a hawk in order to escape. Second, a shape-shifter may not necessarily behave like the creature it impersonates. They are intelligent enough, but they are not clever. It is possible that they may give themselves away by exhibiting traits uncommon to the form they imitate."

There was short silence within the hut. The only sound was the cheery crackling of the firepit, and the bubbling of the water that Kaede was boiling to make tea.

"Sango, do you believe that badger youkai we fought before was really just a badger, or do you think perhaps it was....?"

Sango shrugged uncertainly at the monk. "It's difficult to say. I didn't notice anything strange about the badger....but then again, I was a little....er....distracted...."

A light blush dusted the taijiya's cheeks, and Miroku couldn't help but smile. As much as she tried to hide it from him, he could sense the deep worry that had plagued her on account of his injury. It warmed his heart just to know how much she cared. Shippou had mildly lost interest in the conversation and had sprawled out on his stomach, procuring from his clothes a crumpled piece of paper and a red stump of crayon that Kagome had given him.

"I hope that baka Inuyasha hurries up and brings Kagome back," the kit grumbled as he began dragging the diminished stub of wax over the paper. "I'm almost out of crayons...."

Miroku chuckled softly as he pulled the sleeves of his robes back over his arms. "Well," he said, attempting to bring a note of closure to the troubling matter; "....I suppose that if that was a shape-shifting demon, there's not much we can do unless it decides to attack again."

At that comment, a small frown darkened Sango's face.

"That's what worries me. If it was after the jewel shard in your back, then I'm afraid we haven't seen the last of it," she muttered quietly. "Shape-shifting youkai are notoriously persistent. Once they set their sights on a prize, they won't rest until they've either obtained it, or died trying."

Miroku smiled softly, scooting around the firepit until he was seated beside Sango. Kaede suddenly became very interested in her boiling tea, and Shippou was too busy assaulting his drawing paper with crayon to notice them. The monk very casually lifted his arm and slipped it around Sango's shoulders, suppressing a grin as a glowing blush reddened her cheeks.

"Then we have no choice but to make sure it dies trying, don't we?" he whispered softly so that only she could hear.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"You've got some explaining to do, Kagome Higurashi! Come on, out with it!"

"Yeah, what took you so long?? We had to set up the whole booth by ourselves!"

"You were supposed to be here forty-five minutes ago!"

Kagome nervously touched the back of her neck, smiling timidly as her brain raced for an excuse. Of course they had come looking for her! She had forgotten all about the _thing_ and her friends the instant she and Inuyasha had started dancing.....

"I'm sorry, guys, I really am," she stammered, trolling her gaze slowly along the row of three annoyed faces, each one painted with a nose and whiskers similar to her own. "I just....er....got a little held up, is all...."

"Held up with what?" Eri demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well....uhhhh....."

"Held up with _what,_ Kagome?" Yuka pressed, her eyes narrowing in suspiscion.

A sudden gleam of inspiration lit up Kagome's eyes as the sound of shuffling feet behind her reminded her of Inuyasha.

_Of course!_

"I got held up waiting for my friend!" she exclaimed quickly, spinning around and seizing Inuyasha's arm to drag him forward. The unexpecting hanyou let out a small sound of confusion and surprise as he was unwittingly thrust into the ring of girls.

"Ayumi....Eri....Yuka....this is Inuyasha," Kagome couldn't help but grin with abject relief as her three friends stared blankly. There was a moment of awkward silence. Although she was looking at his face, Kagome had a distinct feeling that Inuyasha was returning their dead-pan expressions with one of his own.

Eri was the one to break the tension. "Hi, Inuyasha. I've never seen you around before. Are you a transfer student, or something?"

"Uhhhh...." Inuyasha stared confusedly before shooting a pleading look at Kagome.

"Oh, he doesn't go here," she quickly filled in, taking Inuyasha's hand in her own for support. "He's...er...he's visiting from out of town, and I thought it would be fun to show him my school."

Kagome swallowed as a sudden devilish smile flitted like a bird across the three faces of her friends.

"....and to introduce him to your best friends, of course," Yuka said, nearly under her breath.

"Welcome to Tokyo, Inuyasha!"

Kagome was surprised to feel him suddenly tighten his hold on her fingers. She tilted her eyes warily in his direction and saw a faint glare of disapproval was hinting at his features. He hadn't spoken one word as of yet, and Kagome was getting the undeniable vibe that he was extremely uncomfortable.

"I love your costume, Inuyasha," Ayumi, the ever-pleasant one, piped up. "What are you supposed to be?"

The glare disappeared and Inuyasha's big golden eyes widened questioningly. "Costume?" he muttered hoarsely.

"Yeah. It's really original. What are you? Like a dog-samurai, or something?"

Despite the situation, Kagome stifled the entirely inappropriate urge to giggle as the hanyou blushed lightly and stiffened with indignation. He opened his mouth to retort gruffly, but she wisely cut him off.

"Inuyasha's way into Fuedal history. He probably knows more about Sengoku Jidai than I do!"

Eri rolled her eyes somewhat impolitely. "Yeah, right, Kagome. Your family runs a shrine. And besides, you're like, the biggest history buff in our grade. You always ace Mr. Hakusumo's tests."

Kagome grimaced slightly at the mention of tests around Inuyasha. He hated it whenever she brought up her schoolwork.

"Yeah," she agreed with a hesitant smile. "They're about the only ones I do pass."

"Well, that's because you're never here!" Yuka pointed out.

_Uh-oh_, a sudden warning signal flashed in Kagome's mind. _I don't like where this conversation is going...._

Sure enough, a low growl suddenly sounded from Inuyasha.

_Oh, please don't let anyone but me hear that...._

"Speaking of which, how are you feeling, Kagome? It seems like its been weeks since you were in school last. What was it this time.....a sudden bout of sciatica?"

Kagome winced. She didn't even know what sciatica was. Gramps was getting pretty creative with his sickness-excuses nowadays....

"Actually, I think I'm holding up pretty well," she assured them, blushing slightly. "I should be able to come back for at least a few...."

"Kagome ain't sick."

The miko stopped in mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open in both surprise and mortification.

Three pairs of curious eyes stared at Inuyasha. The hanyou was glowering fiercely, his hand wrenching away from Kagome's to clench into an involuntary fist. Kagome's mind raced as she gaped at him incredulously.

_Where did that come from?_

Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka were apparently thinking the same thing. They began shooting pensive glances at each other, and then without warning Eri reached out and seized Kagome's wrist.

"Kagome, can we talk to you for a few minutes? In private?" she pointed a friendly smile at Inuyasha. "Girl stuff. You understand, don't you?"

The hanyou simply stared, as if he'd gone mute since his brief outburst.

Kagome turned to try and assuage his obvious confusion, but before she could say another word, she was forcefully dragged away to a nearby corner of the gym. She gave Inuyasha an apologetic glance over her shoulder, trying to will him to be patient. Much to her surprise, he wasn't following them. Instead, he stood perfectly straight with his hands at his sides, his face completely blank as he watched them leave. People were milling around him, but he didn't appear to notice. He stood like an expressionless statue in the crowd.

Once they were alone in a fairly deserted part of the gym, Kagome's attention was immediately turned back to her three eager interrogators.

"Ok, spill it Kagome."

The miko blinked. "Spill what?"

"Don't play dumb with us," Yuka demanded through a huge grin. "Is this the guy?"

A pit of dread abruptly formed deep in Kagome's stomach, and she gulped thickly. "Wh-what guy?"

Eri rolled her eyes. "You know! The crazy over-protective jealous possessive guy! The two-timer you're always talking about!"

Kagome promptly turned red. "Oh....that guy...."

"He sure as heck seems like the over-protective type," Eri murmured, glancing over Kagome's shoulder to where Inuyasha still stood alone in the crowded gym. "He kept glancing at you out of the corner of his eye like, every two seconds."

"And then he snapped at us about your health," Yuka reminded her.

"And you did say he wasn't from around here," Ayumi added.

"And judging by how we found you guys, he certainly seems to like you...."

The blush on Kagome's cheeks flared into a brilliant shade of crimson, and her eyes narrowed defensively.

"We were just dancing!" she snapped.

Her three friends glanced at each other smilingly before turning back to her.

"Oh, come on Kagome, fess up. You were an inch away from kissing him. We all saw it."

"I was not!" Kagome retorted feebly, knowing fully well how lame her defense sounded. "We were just....talking, that's all."

"Mm-hmm. Whateeeeeever you say, Kagome."

"So....you never answered us. Is he the guy or isn't he?"

Kagome's heart pounded. Her gaze darted back and forth between her friends and Inuyasha. The hanyou was still standing exactly where she had left him. He was staring directly at her, his bright golden eyes searching her questioningly. She was having trouble placing his expression. Did he look.....sad? Almost like he was depressed? Kagome shook of the weighty sensation of guilt clinging to her. No....it was just her imagination. He looked blank, that was all....

"Is it him? Tell us!"

A vice of unexplained panic clamped around her thoughts.....she couldn't tell them the truth, could she? What if they kept talking to Inuyasha? What if they found out that he was from the Sengoku Jidai somehow? It should be pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain that he didn't belong in modern-day Tokyo....

"Answer us, Kagome!"

What if they found out her secret? What if they....

"Is he your boyfriend, or isn't he??"

"NO!" Kagome practically shouted.

There was a dull silence among the small group. In the background, the slow song had ended, replaced by a lively, upbeat hip-hop number. Kagome barely heard it as she stared in seething irritation at her now wide-eyed friends.

"He is not my boyfriend! He's not the jealous two-timer! He's just a friend who happened to be in town, so I brought him to the dance! Just a friend, got that? We are not involved, and we don't feel that way about each other, and we were _not_ about to KISS! So just get off my back already, would you?"

Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka stared quietly. Slowly, they shook out of the shocked torpor of Kagome's outburst and gave her small, nervous smiles.

"Ok. We're sorry, Kagome."

The miko's heavy breathing softened, and her harshly narrowed eyes relaxed ashamedly.

"That's....that's alright. I'm sorry too."

"Ok, then. We won't talk about it any more tonight," Ayumi grinned softly, putting an end to the matter.

Kagome sighed in relief, then returned the smile. "Thanks, guys."

"Well, now that that's cleared up..." Yuka said brightly, clapping her hands together. "We can get down to business! Our booth doesn't officially open for another hour yet....but I know how we can pass the time!"

Kagome suddenly became wary again. She didn't like that tone in Yuka's voice.

"How?" she asked, bracing herself for what she knew was coming.

Her friend smiled deviously as she reached forward and took Kagome's wrists. "I know where Hojo is," she answered.

_Oh, great. Just what I don't need...._

"Oh....er...awesome," Kagome smiled fakely, trying to mask the hesitation in her voice. "Let me....uh....let me just go and talk to Inuyasha...."

She turned around, already grimacing at the idea of being forced to 'make time' with Hojo; but when she opened her eyes to locate Inuyasha, he was gone.

Kagome stared at the spot where he had been standing just seconds ago, a quizzical look crossing her face. Where did he go?

"Inuyasha?" she called curiously, well aware that he probably wouldn't be able to discern her voice through all the excess noise in the gymnasium.

Suddenly, she spotted the unmistakable crimson of his haori. He was moving fast, and he was headed towards the light-filled doors at the other end of the gym, where they had first come in shortly before.

"Hey! Inuyasha!" she called to him, quickening her pace and weaving through the dense crowd. "Inuyasha! Wait!"

If the hanyou heard her, he made no sign of it. He continued at his vigorous walk, disappearing into the hallway without so much as a glance over his shoulder.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted desperately, stumbling into the bright hallway after him. A few people were milling around, and she spotted him a little ways off. He was heading for the main entrance doors.

"INUYASHA!" she hollered, a hint of annoyance creeping into her tone. Why was he ignoring her?

At last, he stopped walking and turned to acknowledge her over his shoulder. She fought back a gasp as she hurried toward him when she caught sight of his eyes. They looked darker and more dead than she had seen them in ages.

"Inuyasha....what's....what's wrong?" she panted slightly, straightening up to look him in the face.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he slowly turned around, his features fixed in a cold, dull stare of emptiness. It was as if were looking straight through her.

"I'm leaving," he muttered lowly. His voice was husky and apathetic.

Kagome blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Inuyasha shrugged, and she hated the careless way he did it. The sad, dark look never left his eyes.

"Who cares why? I'm leaving."

"But....you said you wanted to stay with me. You said...."

"Forget it," he grumbled. "Stay the whole night if you want, but I'm going."

He turned his back on her and started for the doors. Kagome felt like crying. His sudden coldness left her with tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

"Wait! You can't just leave!" she cried.

He stopped again, but didn't turn to look at her. "Why the hell not?" his voice was angrier this time.

"Because....I want you to stay," she answered lamely.

Silence filled the hall.

"Why?" he demanded quietly.

Kagome suddenly choked on the tears welling up inside. She sniffled loudly as the first of them fell streaming down her cheeks. As if on cue, Inuyasha immediately turned around and stepped toward her, his eyes now wide with surprise. She could see that her tears were distressing him, but at the moment she was too upset to register it. The idea that he would suddenly just walk out on her like that hurt so badly, it ached.

"Kagome, I....I didn't...please don't....." he stammered, staring helplessly at her sparkling tears.

Kagome sobbed aloud and looked at the floor. "I don't want you to go," she whimpered, realizing how pathetic she must sound. "I thought...." she sniffed; "....I thought we were doing ok...."

"Don't cry," he suddenly pleaded. His voice was so soft and gentle, it caught her off guard. She looked up at him through bleary eyes.

"But....why are you so angry all of a sudden? And why..."

"Shut up," he barked. "And I said don't cry!"

His harsh order had the opposite of its intended effect. Fresh tears sprung to life and Kagome lifted her hands to bury her face in them. Then, suddenly, her whole body went rigid with surprise as a pair of clawed fingers closed around her wrists and gently pulled her hands away. Inuyasha cupped her face with his palm and softly smoothed the pad of his thumb along her cheek, wiping away her tears and smearing the black eye-pencil whiskers. Her wet, wondering brown eyes stared at him in disbelief at the uncharacteristic show of tenderness. He then shocked her further by brushing her toussled bangs off her forehead, his claws combing through the silky hair as he smoothed it back into place. At the same time, he continued to work with his right hand in cleaning the tears from her cheeks.

"Inu...yasha?"

"If I stay," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, "....will you promise to stop crying?"

His condition baffled her. Not knowing what else to do, she nodded in reply.

"Fine, then," he dismissed, calmly drawing his hands away and folding his arms in the sleeves of his haori.

Kagome continued to stare in utter disbelief. Her tears stopped falling, and she sniffled awkwardly as she gaped at the hanyou who had dried her eyes.

_Did he actually just.....comfort me?_

"Oi, wench," he remarked, irrately narrowing his eyes. "You're staring."

"Oh," Kagome shook herself, ordering her thoughts back into obedience. "Sorry. Uh....Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"I....I have to go with my friends, at least for a little while. They'll just keep bugging us if I don't."

A brief spark of emotion crossed the hanyou's face, but it was gone before she could discern what it was.

"Do whatever you want," he grumbled, turning his gaze away.

The distinct loneliness in his answer twinged Kagome with a stab of guilt. An idea flashed in her head that might hopefully take his mind off of whatever seemed to be bothering him so much.

"Are you hungry, Inuyasha?"

He shrugged without looking at her.

"Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat?"

Another shrug. Satisfied with his answer, Kagome smiled in attempt to brighten his mood. "Want me to show you where it is?"

He scowled darkly in her direction. "Keh. Wench, don't you think I can smell my way there?"

Kagome laughed in spite of herself. A wave of relief washed over her, thrilled that he was acting a little like himself again.

"Of course you can. I always forget," she smiled. "Here....let me get you some money."

A few minutes later, Kagome had borrowed her purse from the coat-check boy in exchange for her 159 ticket stub and retrieved a couple of bills from it. After handing it back to the now very nervous ( thanks to a certain hanyou ) teenager, she returned to the end of the hallway and pressed the money into Inuyasha's palm. He glanced uninterestedly at the pair of bills, then closed his fist around them with a light shrug.

"I'll come find you soon," Kagome promised.

"Keh."

Without another word, Inuyasha walked past her and started down the hallway, casually lifting his nose and sniffing the air for any trace scents of food that would lead him to his destination. Kagome couldn't help but giggle quietly as she realized he was headed in the exact right direction.

_Inuyasha_, she thought with bright, smiling eyes. _Thank you for staying._

"Oi, Kagome."

"Huh?" she looked up. He had turned his head to look at her over is shoulder. "What is it?"

"Your face looks like hell," he muttered, his voice rife with bitterness. His blank look of emptiness had returned. "You'd better go and clean that stuff off before _Hojo_ sees you."

And he was gone.

Kagome stood rooted to the spot, staring at the corner around which he had vanished from sight. Her insides felt suddenly hollow and the relieved smile had disappeared from her face.

She hadn't even mentioned Hojo to Inuyasha.....

_Oh no...._

Was that why he was acting so strange? Why he had wanted to leave? Why he had looked at her with that unbearable look of hurt in his eyes?

Had he heard what she had said to her friends?

A/N; Reviews make me smile!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N; Just to be clear, the paragraphs that are all in italics are a flashback.

Disclaimer; I own nothing.

_Chapter 6_

_"We are not involved, and we don't feel that way about each other, and we were **not** about to KISS!" _

Inuyasha sighed as he trudged half-heartedly down the hallway, following his nose to the source of food not far off. Kagome's words kept coming back to him, and each one stung like a smack in the face....

_"....we were **not** about to KISS!"_

She had sounded so upset when she said that. Like she was furious at the idea of her friends even thinking such a thing.

The hanyou quickly shook his head to dispel his wandering thoughts, but despite his efforts his ears still drooped low until they were practically flat to his skull.

_Of course she was upset, baka! You didn't think she actually wanted to kiss you, did you??_

But he had. He had thought....he had hoped....maybe, just maybe.....and then when they were dancing, she was so close....he could still feel her soft, fluttering heartbeat, thumping quietly through his haori, as if reaching out to try and calm his loud, hammering one. For one moment....just a moment.....had she maybe even thought about kissing him?

He had dared to think so.

But no. He had been wrong, as usual. Another low whine penetrated through his closed lips.

And now here he was, all alone, wandering through Kagome's school like a lost puppy. He barely noticed any of the other humans passing by him, each one dressed up in some kind of animal costume. He happened to glance up as one couple almost bumped into him walking from the opposite direction. They quickly hurried by, arms linked, laughing loudly about something. Inuyasha found himself focusing briefly on the boy. He was tall, and had light waves of blonde hair on top of fair skin and bright green eyes. The reddish-brown dog ears atop his head were attached with a band that was obvious to spot. The couple disappeared around the corner he had just come, but their raucous laughter continued to ring in his ears long after they were gone.

Inuyasha didn't realize it, but he slowly flipped his ears back and forth, as if he was feeling them for the first time against his head. A heavy, melancholic weight sunk down on his shoulders and they hung in a slump as a depressed frown darkened his face.

Was that the kind of guy Kagome wanted? A pretty guy who laughed all the time, and didn't mind her blaring music? Somebody who wasn't tongue-tied and miserable around her friends? Somebody who wore shoes? Somebody whose ears could be taken off and discarded as soon as they ceased to be amusing?

The hanyou stood still for a moment in the bustling hallway, letting the people divide around him like herding wildebeests around a boulder. The more he thought about their moment in the gym, the lower his spirits sank.

_Kagome....why do you want me stay? I know I'm not what you want. I know I'm just a worthless half-breed. Why do you have to go and rub it in by asking me to stay, and then crying like that.... _

He sighed again, and set off shuffling once more in the direction his nose guided him. His bare feet shuffled on the shiny, unfamiliar floor.

He hated those tears. Flat-out hated them. How could something as small and pathetic as a few drops of salt water render him so totally helpless? When Kagome started crying, when he had to listen to those soft, delicate sobs of hers, knowing that something was causing her pain....he would do anything to make them stop. Even stay with her at some dumbass school dance while she ran around spending time with everyone but him. Even that Hojo bastard.

A purely instinctive growl surfaced as Inuyasha's thoughts strayed to Hojo, but he quickly forced himself to quell the urge to find Kagome and drag her away from him. _Then maybe pound the weakling's face in a little, just for good measure.... _

_No,_ he thought, a dark, miserable look crossing his eyes. _If Kagome wants to be with him and not me, fine. Let the bitch do whatever the hell she wants. Its not like I care if she didn't want to....if she doesn't want to..... _

He couldn't even complete the thought.

Suddenly, Inuyasha tested the air with his nose and realized that he had reached the source of the scent. Glancing up, he found himself standing before two propped-open double doors leading into a big, high-ceilinged room. Not quite as high as the place where the music was, but still much higher than any ceilings they had in the Sengoku Jidai. Inuyasha looked around. He had absolutely no idea where he was in the school building. How long had he been wandering while lost in his thoughts?

"Keh."

With nothing else to do, he heaved an inaudible sigh and went through the doors.

The room was filled with people, all talking and chattering and screeching with laughter. Inuyasha winced and growled softly through his teeth. Wasn't there anyplace quiet at these damn dance things? Aside from the incessant noise, his nose was being bombarded with the powerful smells of dozens of different kinds of food, most of which he'd never seen or smelled before. Some of them smelled pretty damn good...

As if in response to the thought, the hanyou's stomach suddenly gurgled loudly. He hadn't admitted it to Kagome, but the truth was he was starving. He had left camp before they'd eaten dinner.

Inuyasha wandered into the huge room, his eyes wide and curious as they darted from one place to another. The food was being sold in some type of booths, all lined up around the walls, with enormous tables in between where swarms of humans were all eating.

_Damn, it **all **smells good....where do I start?_

"Hey, kid!"

_Maybe I'll see if they have any ramen...._

"HEY! You with the sword!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha turned to the source of the sound. A dark-haired girl in purple cat ears was staring at him expectantly.

"Are you going to eat anything?" she asked impatiently.

Inuyasha blinked, then nodded.

"Well, then you have to pay here," she gestured to the table she was seated at.

"Oh...right...." Inuyasha fumbled in the sleeves of his haori until he found the folded up wad of money Kagome had given him. He stared at it for a moment as it rested in his palm. He had never had enough patience to try and figure out her strange paper currency, so he had no idea what the crumpled up stuff in his hand was worth.

He extended his arm straight out and held the money underneath the girl's nose. She quirked an eyebrow at him and leaned back in her chair.

"Is this enough?" he asked.

The girl made a face, but she nodded. "That'll be fine, sir. One all-you-can-eat ticket, coming right up," she took the money and in exchange handed him a red slip of paper.

Inuyasha copied her eyebrow quirk as he stared at this new currency. Why the hell was their money system so damn confusing?

"What do I do with this?" he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

The girl sighed and propped her chin on one hand. "It's an all-you-can-eat pass. Just show it to the vendors and you can take as much food as you want."

The hanyou blinked in surprise. "As much as I want?"

"As much as you want."

His stomach grumbled hungrily in expectation.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Higurashi! I'm so glad you're feeling well enough to be up and about!"

"Small miracles, I guess," Kagome grimaced through an entirely false smile. She knew that her face was red, but it wasn't from blushing. It was from rough scrubbing with a wet paper towel. True to Inuyasha's assessment, she had gone into the bathroom, looked in the mirror and gasped in horror at the black make-up smeared all over her face, thanks to her recent bout of tears. It had taken nearly ten minutes to clean the stuff off and reapply fresh whiskers and a nose, and by that time Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka had tracked down Hojo.

"You....uh....look really nice, Kagome," the tall, chestnut-haired boy muttered sheepishly behind a small grin.

Kagome couldn't help it. She smiled genuinely in return.

"Thanks, Hojo. You do too."

Hojo was wearing...._of all things_.....silvery-white dog ears. They looked so much like Inuyasha's that Kagome had practically shrieked in shock when she saw them on Hojo's head. The fact that he would just happen to pick white ones was a coincidence too cruel to even fathom. Aside from the ears, he was wearing black dress pants and a white, button-up shirt made of silky material. Even if he didn't really look much like a dog, Kagome had to admit he looked quite smart.

"So tell me....when did you get over that nasty bout of sciatica?"

Kagome blushed for real. "Oh, that! Ummm....about a week ago! Amazing recovery, actually....it's like I never even had it!"

_Maybe because I **didn't **actually have it....whatever **it** even is....._

An unusually bold smile flashed across Hojo's perfect teeth.

"Do you think maybe you feel well enough for a little dancing?"

Kagome's eyes widened and she gulped back the urge to stammer mindlessly. She was grinding her teeth on the inside, trying not to imagine what would happen if Inuyasha found her dancing with Hojo. The hanyou already wasn't any too fond of him, and she was positive that an incident like that coupled with his current bad mood would escalate into a disaster.... But then again, she couldn't easily brush off Hojo. Even if he could somehow be persuaded away, her friends were another story. Now that she had convinced them that nothing was going on between her and Inuyasha, they were more eager than ever to try and hook her up with Hojo. They had practically shoved her into him the instant she came out of the bathroom. If she tried to ditch them now, they would just keep hounding her until she caved anyway....

It was kind of a shame, actually, that she just didn't feel that way about Hojo. He really was a nice guy. In all respects, he would make the perfect boyfriend. He was thoughtful, smart, good-looking, generous, kind, soft-spoken, and sweet; and he had a smile that made most girls in Kagome's school swoon on the spot....

_And here I am instead, head over heels for a guy who carries a sword on his hip, swears every fifteen seconds, picks fights every ten, and couldn't say one sweet thing to me if his life depended on it. I must be crazy...._

"How 'bout it, Kagome?" Hojo prodded further, his characteristic patience-of-a-saint gleaming in his warm brown eyes.

Kagome couldn't help but smile at him. _Inuyasha....please be **really** hungry....._

"Ok, Hojo," she agreed with a small, challenging grin. "You're on."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

_It was dusk. The early autumn sunset was something to behold, an entire horizon painted with streaks of amber and red, purple and magenta and brilliant, flaming orange. The moment the sun sunk down beneath the treeline, the black silhouettes of branches and hills were lined with bright, glowing gold, and the thin clouds that drifted lazily above turned a soft, dull lavendar. It was truly a beautiful evening. Unfortuately, the tranquility of the night was lost on the party of six that occupied the small clearing around the Bone Eater's well. _

_"Sango, look out!" Kagome's shrill scream echoed from high above. She was perched up in the boughs of the sacred tree, Goshinboku, courtesy of Inuyasha, who had deemed that the safest place for her. _

_Sango whirled around just in time to see the enormous claws of the badger youkai crashing towards her. She dove aside as the crushing paw struck the ground beside her, sending tremors through the earth and carving six deep gouges in the dirt. _

_"This bastard is mine! WIND SCAR!" Inuyasha bellowed as he slammed Tetsusaiga into the ground, unleashing the huge rush of glowing demonic energy that cut the ground in long, golden strokes. _

_The badger roared as it was hit with the full blast of the Kaze no Kizu, and everyone in the clearing averted their eyes as the youkai was engulfed in blinding yellow light. _

_"Is it finished?" Miroku's voice cut the stunned silence as they all slowly looked back to the youkai. _

_Inuyasha's jaw dropped in surprise. _

_"Hell....it can't be...." _

_There stood the demon, without a scratch upon its body. In fact, the only change that the Wind Scar seemed to have inflicted was that the beast was now veritably wild with rage. The twenty-foot-high badger let out a vicious snarl as it shot its huge red eyes back and forth, as if trying to decide which of them to attack first. _

_"The Wind Scar had no effect! How can that be?" Shippou cried as he clung fervently to Kagome's shoulder. _

_"I don't know, Shippou," the miko muttered. _

_Then, suddenly, Kagome became aware of two very big, very fierce-looking eyes trained squarely upon her. At the height she was sitting in Goshinboku, the youkai's head was just about level with her when it reared up on its hind legs. The beast was staring straight at her, a thick foam of saliva dripping from its bared fangs. _

_"KAGOME!" _

_She let out an ear-piercing scream as the air around her was filled with the deafening sound of tearing, splintering wood. The badger youkai's claws ripped through the tree branch she was sitting on, missing her by mere inches. The world seemed to spin wildly as she felt herself falling, Shippou's tiny hands now wrapped around her neck and his face buried in her hair. _

_"Gotchya!" a gruff voice snarled as she felt clawed hands and strong arms catch her in mid-air. _

_Inuyasha landed with a tumbling roll, turning so that his own shoulders took the brunt of the impact. Kagome gripped the front of his haori tightly as they came to a halt, Inuyasha lying on the ground beneath her with his arms still clamped protectively around her waist. _

_"Kagome, are you ok?" his breathless inquiry snapped her back to reality. Shippou was trembling violently as he held fast to her shoulder. _

_"Yes...I'm fine," she answered truthfully, sliding off of him. _

_The hanyou was on his feet instantly, Tetsusaiga pulled from its sheathe and brandished in front of him, the huge fang glowing with his residual anger. _

_"You're gonna pay for that, you slobbering cretin!" he shouted, a fierce growl issuing from his bared canines. "Stay back, Kagome!" _

_The miko only nodded in obedience as Inuyasha took off at a sprint towards the badger demon just as Sango was preparing to fling her lethal weapon. _

_"HIRAIKOTSU!" _

_The boomerang sliced the air with whistling speed, nicking the demon in its left shoulder and eliciting an unearthly howl of pain from the towering monster. Inuyasha followed the Hiraikotsu without missing a beat. He grunted with effort as the Tetsusaiga made contact, cutting a long gash at the nape of the badger's neck. Again, the beast screamed and snarled in agony, but it didn't go down. _

_"That's one damn persistent youkai," Miroku muttered beneath his breath. "I think it's time I put an end to this...." _

_Sensing what the monk was about to do, Sango instinctively lifted her Hiraikotsu and stabbed it into the earth, crouching down and bracing herself against it. Behind her, the huge transformed body of Kilala growled expectantly, hovering behind Sango and sheltering her. _

_"Kagome!" the taijiya called across the clearing. "Brace yourself on the Sacred Oak!" _

_"Right!" Kagome quickly seized Shippou in her arms and knelt down beside Goshinboku, hugging it as tightly as her shaking fingers could grip the bark. Shippou squealed and burrowed his face into her chest, his back pinned against the tree and his hands fisting in her shirt. _

_"Now, Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted from somewhere far off. _

_"Prepare for judgement day, demon! Wind Tunnel!" _

_The monk's familiar cry echoed through the swiftly-darkening clearing as the sacred beads were torn away from his cursed hand. The wind instantly picked up, whipping the hair and clothing of everyone around. Chunks of dirt and sod were ripped free of the ground, only to be sucked with lightning speed into the consuming hole in Miroku's palm. _

_The enormous demon's feet began to give way. It snarled in defiance as it was slowly dragged towards the void, its claws digging into the ground in a desperate attempt to resist the powerful wind. _

_"It's working, Miroku! Keep at it!" Sango cried. _

_The badger bellowed again, tossing its head angrily and baring its hideous yellow fangs. Then, just when it seemed the youkai was about to lose its grip on the earth and disappear into the void of the Kazaana, it raised its gargantuan paw and struck. _

_Miroku screamed in both shock and pain as the youkai's arm extended forward in a lethal swing. The Wind Tunnel was sealed once again by the holy beads as the monk sailed back from the demon's blow and skidded across the grass, coming to a stop near the edge of the forest. For a single instant, there was total silence. _

_Sango was the first to find her voice. _

_"MIROKU!" she screamed, the panic plain in her terrified cry. _

_"Damn you!" Inuyasha snarled, leaping up once again and attacking the beast. _

_Kagome opened her eyes, turning to look in the direction of Sango's frightened voice. She relinquished her hold on Goshinboku and rose to her feet, taking off at a sprint towards the spot where her two friends huddled together on the ground, Kilala standing protectively in front of them with her teeth bared. _

_Miroku's eyes were tightly shut, his left arm gripping his right side as he trembled and winced with the searing pain. Sango had dropped to her knees and was bracing his back against her, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she repeatedly called out his name. Kagome knelt down on the monk's opposite side, struggling to stay calm as she carefully coaxed his hand away from the wound. A choked sob rose in her throat as she saw the devastating extent of his injuries. He was hurt....badly. His robes were torn away where the demon's claws had struck him, revealing a clear view of his lacerated flesh. Blood was pouring onto the ground, staining the grass and soaking through his clothes. He uttered a loud cry of anguish as Kagome inspected the wounds with shaking fingers. _

_"Kagome! We have to do something! He'll die!" _

_"Stay calm, Sango," she muttered soothingly under her breath, hoping that the taijiya didn't sense her own desires to panic. "You have to get him out of here. Quickly; get him onto Kilala and take him back to the village. Take my first-aid kit, and use some gauze to stifle the bleeding." _

_Sango nodded in understanding, and the two of them worked slowly and carefully to lift the injured monk from the ground and ease him onto Kilala's back. With a soft groan, he slid into unconsciousness, and fell forward with his chest against the cat youkai's neck. _

_"But what about you, Kagome?" Sango inquired worriedly. _

_The miko forced a weak smile. "I'll be fine. Inuyasha and I can handle this demon. Here....take Shippou, too. I don't want him getting hurt." _

_Minutes later, Kilala had leapt into the skies, carrying the taijiya, the monk, and the kitsune on her back. Within a few seconds, they had disappeared into the ever-darkening sky. _

_Happy that her friends were out of danger, but burdened with the knowledge that Inuyasha wasn't, Kagome slowly turned around to face the clearing. Inuyasha and the youkai were battling viciously, the hanyou leaping and darting and emitting snarls of anger as he lashed out with his claws and Tetsusaiga. The badger was slower, lumbering around on its thick limbs, trying to keep up with the lightning fast inu hanyou that was relentlessly attacking him. _

_Kagome took a deep breath as she pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it in place with the bow. Her hands trembled and struggled to take aim. _

_Just one....clear....shot....._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer; I own nothing. Nada. Bubkus.

_Chapter 7_

"Mmmmm....Sango? You awake?"

Sango turned her head toward the source of the noise. Miroku sat up groggily, wincing as he rotated his right shoulder. The demon-slayer smiled in the soft crackling light of the fire in Kaede's hut.

"You know, you're never going to heal if you keep putting unnecessary pressure on those wounds."

"Ah, not to worry, my dear Sango," he lifted his left arm and and patted himself on the back. "With Kagome's jewel shard, I'll be up and about in no time."

Sango sighed, but couldn't stifle a small giggle at his blatant optimism. Suddenly, the monk's face turned serious.

"Why are you up, Sango? I know it's still early, but everyone else has nodded off..."

The taijiya shrugged. "No real reason. I guess...."

Miroku leaned forward. "What?"

She shrugged again. "I guess I was just thinking about that night. The fight with the badger youkai. I'm wondering if it wasn't really a shape-shifter after all."

The monk rose to his feet to circle around the fire pit, tip-toeing around Shippou and Kaede, who were fast asleep on their pallets. He sank down beside Sango, crossing his legs and hunching forward with his elbows on his knees.

"There isn't any way to know for sure?" he inquired.

"Well...not exactly. I do have one theory, though....Inuyasha's Wind Scar had no effect on the youkai, remember?"

Miroku nodded. "Most peculiar."

"Yes....I think that maybe it's because the youkai transformed just as the attack hit, then changed back before the flash of light had faded."

"Can they transform so quickly?"

"They can. I haven't come across many shape-shifting youkai, but I did see one several years back that transformed so fast, you would miss it with a blink. That demon could have changed into a bird, or even an insect; something so small and fast it would be able to evade the Wind Scar. Then it transformed back into the badger."

Miroku looked pensively into the fire, holding his chin in contemplation. "Not that this is any sort of proof, really; but save for when it attacked me, the demon did seem to have its sights set primarily on Kagome. Of course, that's the case with many demons we come across. They all desire the shards of the Shikon no Tama she carries. But still....you said that shape-shifters will ignore all other quarry except for the one they are after; and that badger didn't attack any of us unless it was absolutely forced to."

Sango nodded in agreement. "However, there's not much point in discussing it. Whether or not it was a shape-shifter is irrelevant now. All we can do is be on our guard....now that you have a jewel fragment, I'm certain we'll be seeing more of our serpent friend from earlier."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

About two dozen pairs of eyes were glued unmovingly onto Inuyasha. They stared unashamedly, without blinking, occasionally leaning over to whisper horrified comments or remarks of amusement to their neighbors. The hanyou was deaf and blind to all of them. Rather than sit at one of the tables, where he would feel pointedly out of place, Inuyasha had elected to sit by himself in an empty corner of the room with his back to the wall.

Surrounding him on the floor were six different trays, each one piled with a different type of food. Once it had been made clear to him that the little red slip of paper permitted him to take as much as he wanted from any of the booths, the half-starved hanyou had made his rounds and loaded up with any and everything that smelled decent to him. Then he had hunkered down on the floor in his uninhabited corner and proceeded to gorge himself.

There was one definite advantage about Kagome's era that Inuyasha openly admitted to. Their food was infinitely better.

It never ceased to amaze him, how things tasted in this strange futuristic place. Nothing was bland. Nothing was bitter or dried up or scrawny. Everything was delicious. The stuff that Kagome brought back in her huge yellow pack was just a scratch on the surface; here in this room he'd come across dozens of things that he'd never even known existed.

A pair of teenage girls passing by stopped and stared at Inuyasha as he moved on from a now-empty tray of udon noodles and attacked a mound of teriyaki chicken wings. He tore viciously into the tiny limbs with his teeth, not caring how loudly or messily he was eating, or about the fact that the girls both made small sounds of disgust before hurrying on.

Although he refused to admit it to himself, Inuyasha was attempting to smother his hurt feelings and lingering depression with food. He had once heard Kagome describing actions similar to this; how girls in her time often over-ate when they were sad or lonely, how she herself liked to intentionally gorge on chocolate when she was feeling blue. The hanyou decided he'd give the idea a try. It wasn't like he had anything else to do in this miserable place, now that Kagome was off with her friends and her precious Hojo....he might as well see if there was any truth to her stories. So he had saddled up with three times as much food as he would have normally taken and sat down to see if he could eat himself happy.

Unfortunately, the tactic wasn't working. By the time he had scarfed down all six trays and another three bowls of stir-fry besides, he wasn't feeling any better. In fact, if anything, he felt worse.

_Damn that Kagome....how the hell is over-eating supposed to make you forget about being sad?_

The instant that thought crossed his mind, the hanyou snorted angrily and rose to his feet, ignoring his slight wave of dizziness and the distinct twinge of warning in his stomach.

_I am not sad! I don't give a rat's ass what Kagome and her stupid friends think!_

Now glaring fiercely at no one in particular, Inuyasha set off at a defiant stomp towards the ring of vendors yet again. It didn't matter that he wasn't the least bit hungry anymore; at this point, he was eating out of pure stubborness, and he knew it.

Approaching the one row of tables he hadn't visited yet, Inuyasha eyed the plates of food scrupulously, determining which one he should go for. The smell eminating from this end of the room was distinctly different; whereas the first booths he went to were all salty or savory, these ones were overpoweringly sweet. It reminded him of the candy that Kagome was always giving to Shippou. As he was standing there, the girl working at the booth smiled brightly.

"I see you have the Golden Ticket," she said jokingly as she spied the red paper clutched in his fist.

Inuyasha glanced at her confusedly.

"Mine is red," he mumbled. To his dismay, the girl laughed aloud.

"Just an expression, silly!" she giggled. "Is there anything you want?"

The hanyou swallowed thickly as yet another dull ache twinged in his belly. He stubbornly ignored it and asked her the same question he had asked all the other food vendors.

"Got any ramen?"

The girl blinked, then laughed again. "Sorry, we don't. These are the desert tables."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He'd rather have ramen. Leaning forward and sniffing the variety of foods, he realized he didn't know what most of them were. He wasn't keen on the idea of continuing conversation with this human girl who obviously thought he was an idiot at this point, but it wasn't as if he had much else to do....

"What is all this stuff?" he demanded gruffly.

The girl shot him a funny look, but patiently named each of the foods to him.

"Well, er, starting from the left here.....we've got cupcakes, brownies, eclairs, cream-puffs, cinnamon twists, chocolate cake....."

Inuyasha's ears perked up. "Chocolate?"

She nodded brightly. "Mm-hmm. Chocolate cake, chocolate donuts, chocolate-dipped strawberries...."

Kagome's stories drifted through his mind again. Chocolate was the thing she said she ate to make her happy. Maybe the reason her strategy wasn't working for him was because he'd been eating the wrong things. Kagome brought chocolate through the well with her all the time, but he had never thought to taste any. It always smelled too sugary for his liking; and Shippou usually pounced on it before anyone else had a chance, anyway. Maybe if he tried some, Kagome's pigging-out ritual would start to work for him.....

The hanyou gruffly interrupted the girl's aimless rambling. "Just give me anything that's chocolate."

"That, I can do," she smiled.

A few minutes later, he was back in his corner, this time carrying a tray piled high not with rice-balls or chicken wings, but four different kinds of chocolate desert. Inuyasha eyed the stuff curiously, sniffing each item scrupulously. It all smelled pretty much the same; he wasn't sure what the difference between _cake_ and a _brownie_ was, but he figured there was only one way to find out.

His gut was full to bursting, and every instinct in his head was screaming at him not to take another bite, but at the back of his mind Kagome's words just kept coming back, drowning out his voices of common sense.....

_"....we were **not** about to **KISS**!"_

She had never been thinking about kissing him.

She probably thought he was crazy, the way he had been leaning toward her with his eyes closed like that, and his damn lips probably puckered and everything......

Or worse.....maybe she was talking about it with those friends of hers....she was probably laughing at him, right now......

Inuyasha closed his eyes and bit down.

He froze with his mouth full of cake, and his golden eyes popped open, wide and curious. He struggled to chew it for a few seconds, regretting having bitten off so much....eventually, he was able to gulp it down, then sat back for a moment to deliberate. The light, crumbly substance coated his tongue and made him thirsty, and the creamy stuff on top stuck to the roof of his mouth, and it was every bit as sweet and intense as it smelled.

But all in all, it was good.

Better than good.

It was damn good.

Now fully enveloped in wonder and curiosity of the strange, delicious food he had never tried before, Inuyasha took in another huge mouthful of cake. Then another and another. After that, he tried one of the brownies. Those were even better, thicker and chewier, but every bit as rich and sweet. His stomach was pitching a veritable fit, grumbling and complaining at the merciless over-packing of food it was recieving; but Inuyasha was far too intrigued to pay it any attention. In minutes, he had emptied the entire tray, and was ambling back to the desert booths for more.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

_Oh, thank sweet merciful Kami.....it isn't a slow song!_

Kagome heaved a huge sigh of relief as she, Hojo, Ayumi, Eri and Yuka returned once more to the large gymnasium, and she found that the music was fast-paced and loud, without so much as a hint of romance.

This failed to deter Hojo, however, who was still beaming that dazzling smile like a search light. He had somehow hooked Kagome's arm in the crook of his elbow, and she honestly didn't have the heart to pull it away....not when he was so obviously pleased with the whole situation.

_Poor guy_, she mentally sighed, casting him a quick glance out of the corner of her eye. _I really wish he would just pick some other girl to have an eternal crush on._

"Well, we don't want to bother you and Hojo, Kagome," Yuka suddenly piped up, abruptly elbowing both Ayumi and Eri in the ribs.

"Oh...right, right," Eri stammered, a big grin plastering her falsely whiskered face. "We'll go and find dancing partners of our own. You two have fun, and don't take off before they play a slow song! Hojo's a killer dancer, you know," she added with a sly wink in Kagome's direction.

The miko fought the urge to groan, and instead clenched her teeth in a forced smile as she waved goodbye to her three friends.

_Great....alone with Hojo....Inuyasha, please please please please **please** have been **extremely** hungry...._

"You ready, Kagome? You're sure you're feeling up to this?"

She shook herself and turned back to the tall, chestnut-haired boy who was beaming at her. He looked so happy, so blissfully dead to everything around them. He was smiling as if all his dreams had just come true. Once....just once, she wished Inuyasha would look at her like that.....

"I'm sure. Let's go, Hojo."

And with that, they were swept into the crowd of dancing teenagers.

The music thumped loudly and steadily, a sort of techno-remix that Kagome could recall hearing once or twice before. She liked this song, but she wasn't exactly sure how one would dance to it....

"Like this, Kagome!"

She turned to see Hojo with his hands hanging casually at his sides, his shoulders bobbing in time with the song. His feet slid smoothly back and forth along the gym floor, moving with fluidity, but not too quickly. His calm smile never faltered.

Kagome couldn't help but raise one eyebrow in impressed surprise.

"Wow. You _are_ a good dancer!"

Hojo laughed. "Nah. I'm just good at finding the beat."

Kagome awkwardly tried to imitate his position. "What...like this?"

"Almost. Relax your shoulders a little."

She tried, then laughed in good-natured frustration as she hunched over in a very unlady-like slump.

"This is embarrassing. I'm usually pretty good...."

"It's just a weird song. Here....er....try this...." and suddenly, Hojo had reached over and took her shoulders in his hands, stepping behind her as he gently straightened her back. Kagome felt a hot blush creeping up her neck, and she quickly eased away from his touch.

"Aaaa....that's better. Thanks Hojo," she stammered quickly.

For a few moments, they went on silence, both dancing conservatively and trying not to look at each other. She could sense that he was embarrassed by his thwarted attempt at physical contact, and she was beginning to remember the reasons why she had been so hesitant to dance with him in the first place.

If only he wasn't so darn determined to win her over....if only he would move on and like some other girl, he and she could have been great friends. She really did like him, just not in the way he wanted.

The techno song finished, and then, to Kagome's horror, the soft strains of another slow-dance started up. A multitude of girls in the audience cheered appreciatively, hurrying to track down their dates or boyfriends and cling happily to their necks as they shuffled slowly to the music.

Without missing a beat, Hojo cleared his throat nervously and extended his arm. Even in the semi-darkness of the gym Kagome could see the distinct flush on his face.

"Kagome, do....do you....I mean, do you want to.....?"

For some reason, Kagome shot a wary glance toward the doors, as if she were expecting Inuyasha to come bursting angrily through them at any second... Then, all of a sudden, another thought struck her.

Inuyasha had obviously known that she was going to see Hojo when they had parted ways earlier. His last bitter remark said so. And yet he had still disappeared as if he never wanted to see her again.

So why was so worried that he would be angry at seeing her with Hojo? The thought hadn't occurred to her before, but judging by his behavior that night, she really had no viable reason for thinking that.

Even as she stared with widening eyes toward the doors, a dark cloud of disappointment and realization came over her.

_What am I thinking? He **knows** I'm with Hojo. And he doesn't care....._

_....he doesn't care at all....._

_Inuyasha....._

It didn't matter to him one bit who she danced with, or who looked at her. He had even said so himself. She just hadn't wanted to believe him.

_Inuyasha....I **wanted** it to bother you. I wanted you to get angry, and yell at me, and tell me I couldn't go off with Hojo by myself. I....I wanted you to be jealous....._

Even more than that, she had wanted to believe that when they were dancing, he had actually been leaning towards her....as if he wanted to kiss her. Unbidden tears suddenly stung in the corners of her eyes, and she cursed them in her mind, commanding them not to fall.

Who was she kidding? Inuyasha hadn't been about to kiss her. She had probably imagined the whole thing.....her and her stupid wishful thinking.

"Kagome? Is something wrong?"

_Inuyasha....he must think I'm such a pathetic loser, getting close and leaning against him, and.....and....oh, Inuyasha...._

"Kagome? Do you...would you...?"

She swallowed back the tears and turned to smile brightly at Hojo. Stepping forward, she took her hand in his and reached out to place the other gently on his shoulder.

"I'd love to, Hojo."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Before he knew what was going on, the room was suddenly spinning.

Not only that, but for some odd reason his vision was getting blurry.

Inuyasha growled softly and sat up, lifting his back off the wall. A slight groan escaping his throat, the hanyou groggily blinked his eyes over and over, attempting to clear them of the strange fog that was turning everything fuzzy. To his dismay and confusion, it didn't lift.

He stood up, and his foot brushed something hard. Looking down, he saw that all the trays he had filled and then emptied were still scattered around him on the floor. One of them was covered with dark brown crumbs.

_That's right_, he reminded himself. _I ate a bunch of that chocolate stuff....I must have dozed off for a few minutes, or something...._

Inuyasha went to take a few steps forward when something suddenly stopped him.

_What....the HELL?_

"Ohhhhhh....."

He let out a low, agonized moan as he abruptly stumbled to his knees, one hand clutching his stomach for dear life and the other bracing himself on the floor. The instant he had tried to walk, his belly had lurched so violently that he couldn't stand. Now he blinked and peered blearily at the tiled floor, his head swimming. He felt dizzy and light-headed, and his limbs were twinging with a slight numbness; but by far the worst sensation was in his stomach.

_Damn....how much did I eat??_

Racking his brain, he couldn't remember. He remembered the intoxicating taste of the chocolate, and the giggling squeal of that girl as he went back to her booth a second time....after that, everything was kind of a blur. But this felt like more than simple over-eating. This was like over-eating coupled with a strange, intense pain that he couldn't place.

Inuyasha growled again, determined to stand up. Sucking in a deep breath, he managed to push himself off the floor and rise dizzily to his feet, wobbling severely and raising his hands to steady himself. Slowly, he took a few baby steps forward. The further he inched, the dizzier he felt, and the damn fog that was blurring his vision refused to dissipate.

The hanyou had never experienced a pain quite like this. It was as if his stomach had been filled with live snakes, writhing and squirming and twisting around inside him; but at the same time, there was a sharp, shooting pain that pierced like a knife in his gut, stabbing at him worse every time he took a step. This was a pain beyond stomach-ache; this was the great grand-daddy of all stomach-aches. This was the stomach-ache with a vengeance.

Somehow, Inuyasha managed to make his way out of the big room full of food and back into the hallway. There were more people walking around than before, but their voices were like a fuzzy mumbling in his ears. He didn't have any attention to spare them, anyway. Ignoring the curious stares he was getting, Inuyasha stumbled forward and braced himself with one arm against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut as yet another unwelcome sensation washed over him; a wave of nearly irrepressible nausea.

He never got sick. _Never._ He couldn't remember a single instance in all of his adult life where he had ever been driven to the point of becoming truly, physically ill.

Yet as he stood there with his arm against the wall and his head hanging low, he wanted nothing more than to be sick right there on the floor. Maybe that would alieve the horrible pressure inside him, the feeling that his insides were packed full to absolute capacity and were in danger of bursting.

The next minute he was bombarded by heat. He could feel his face flushing and a light perspiration dampening his forehead and the back of his neck, and his golden eyes glazed over as he stared down at the floor. He slowly leaned away from the wall, but as soon as he tried to stand up straight, he was doubled over again with the dull, aching pain. His belly was positively roiling, churning and lurching and flip-flopping over itself, gurgling so violently that it made audible noises. Blind to the now-blatant stares he was getting from everyone in the hallway, Inuyasha gave up all vestiges of his constant need to appear strong and uttered a loud, agonizing groan that was crossed with a growl. He folded his arms over his middle and pressed, hugging himself tightly in a vain attempt to quell the vicious storm brewing in his insides; but nothing helped.

_Kagome...._ he thought weakly, looking forward with groggy, half-glazed eyes_....have to find Kagome...._

Inuyasha forced his arms away from his stomach, walking forward with as much strength as he could muster. People cried out in surprise and irritation as he stumbled his way through the crowds, not caring who he bumped in to.

_....Kagome....what the hell did that stuff **do** to me....?_


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer; I own nothing. _Nothing, _I tells ya.

_Chapter 8_

Kagome felt numb as she slowly shuffled her feet across the floor, her pointed shoes dragging a little more than usual. She was vaguely aware that at some point in the song, she had slumped forward against Hojo, her head leaning on his shoulder; but she hadn't done it out of affection or happiness, like she had with Inuyasha. She had simply wanted to hide her face from him, because there was no way she could force herself to smile at that moment.

If Hojo noticed her miserable disposition, he showed no sign of it. She wasn't looking at his expression, but she didn't have to to know that he was in all likelihood still smiling up a storm.

Kagome sighed, shifting slightly in Hojo's arms and tightening her slack grip on his shoulders. Hojo was an excellent slow-dancer, but somehow, she was completely unable to enjoy his gentle, swaying movements, even as a friend. Her thoughts were elsewhere, far away with a thick-headed hanyou who probably didn't even know she existed at the moment.

She wondered what he was doing, if he was still down in the cafeteria or not.

Kagome winced and bit her lip as unshed tears stung at her eyes as a sad, torturing thought occurred to her.

Maybe he had changed his mind and left, after all.

She had promised him that if he stayed, she wouldn't cry anymore. Well, here she was, dangerously close to tears once more. She had broken her promise to him. The thought dampened her spirits even further, and she sniffled involuntarily, struggling to keep the salty trickles at bay.

She wouldn't blame him if he did leave....

"Hey!"

"What the...hey, _watch it,_ pal!"

"Ouch! He stepped on my foot!"

"The hell...what's he...."

"Hey, you! Red!"

"Watch it, creep!"

"What the heck's he doing with a sword?"

Kagome's ears perked, and she instantly looked up. "Inuyasha?" she whispered, peering through the darkness in disbelief.

"Oi....Kagome...."

"Inuyasha!" she cried, half in pure surprise and half in overwhelming happiness. He hadn't left. He had come back to her.

The hanyou promptly stumbled through the dense crowd of dancing teenagers, knocking into several of them, each who muttered rudely at his back before turning away. Inuyasha appeared not to notice them. He was hunched over slightly, his golden eyes peering forward and cutting the darkness.

"Kagome?" he mumbled, straightening up only slightly. "Where the hell are you....?"

The miko blinked in astonishment. He was three feet in front of her. "Ummm....right here."

He stared groggily at her, finally seeming to perceive where she was standing. As he staggered forward, she could sense that something was wrong, but for the life of her she couldn't imagine what. He was acting like he was half-asleep, or _drunk, _or something.

"Friend of yours, Kagome?" Hojo asked, clearly oblivious to any tension between them.

"Yes...this is Inuyasha," she answered absently.

"Pleasure," Hojo extended his hand to Inuyasha, who stared at it as disinterestedly as if it were a piece of wood. A dark scowl suddenly knit his features, and he rudely reached out and shoved the gesture aside.

"We've met, bastard," he muttered angrily.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped. He ignored her.

"What the _hell_ d'you think you're doing with Kagome?" the hanyou snarled, lightly resting his hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. All the while, however, he seemed to be forever hunching forward, and his threat sounded only half-hearted. Kagome narrowed her eyes in concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly, leaning forward and touching his arm.

"He doesn't look so good," Hojo commented earnestly.

Inuyasha issued a fierce warning growl. "I don't need any sympathy from pathetic weaklings like you. Back off, bastard, or I'll....I'll...." but he never got out what he was going to do, because suddenly his eyes rolled in his head and he pitched forward, timbering like a felled tree.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, her voice instantly shrill with worry. "Inu....OOF!"

The wind was knocked out of her as Inuyasha fell against her, the full weight of his body sending her staggering backward. She groaned with effort and was just barely able to keep herself from tumbling to the ground with the limp hanyou on top of her. Her knees buckled and she gripped his shoulders for dear life, struggling to support both him and herself.

Inuyasha's cheek was pressed into the bare skin of her chest, his jaw fitted awkwardly along her clavicle and his unruly hair tickling her nose. He spoke, and the feel of his lips moving against her neck sent a shiver down her spine.

"..._Kagome_...." his voice was muffled into her skin.

Hands suddenly reached out and lifted the heavy burden off her chest. Kagome gasped in oxygen as she darted forward to drape Inuyasha's arm over her shoulders, helping to support him.

"Thanks, Hojo," she muttered, truly grateful.

"No problem. Is he alright? He looks like he fainted." Hojo's voice seemed genuinely concerned.

"I don't think he's unconscious....but I don't know what's wrong. I'd better get him out of here."

Inuyasha's eyes were still half-closed, but he was obviously aware of what was going on, because he stiffened his legs and began to stumble under his own power, leaning only slightly against Kagome as she hurried along beside him.

"Wait! Don't you want some help, Kagome?"

"No, Hojo, thanks anyway. You stay and have fun. It'll be fine, honest.....I just have to get him some fresh air, that's all."

The miko didn't give Hojo time to protest. She sped up and half-dragged Inuyasha from the room. They staggered into the bright light of the hallway, but there were too many people milling around for her to properly get a look at him. The hanyou suddenly moaned, and Kagome noticed with a narrowed look of concern that his hand that wasn't draped across her shoulders was clutching oddly at his stomach.

"Hang in there, Inuyasha," she murmured, beginning to wobble under his weight.

It seemed to take ages for them to reach the doors; but at long last, they stepped out into the cool, calm stillness of the courtyard. Streetlamps lit up the grounds, and the sharp blue moonlight also helped to brighten the grassy yard, so Kagome had no trouble seeing clearly. A light breeze drifted through the air, but it felt pleasantly cold after the stifling heat of the gym. Gasping for breath, Kagome lead Inuyasha into the grass and slowly eased him down to the ground at the base of a thick-trunked maple tree.

The softly growling hanyou slid limply off her shoulders, thumping on the grass and immediately leaning back against the tree. Kagome dropped to her knees beside him, reaching out and brushing his bangs out of his eyes. His silver hair glowed brightly in the moonlight, but his ears were markedly still. For some reason, that struck her with a tight knot of concern.

"Inuyasha, it's ok. We're alone now. What's the matter? Are you in pain?"

He only groaned in response.

Worry gripped around Kagome like a vice. _This was so unlike him...._

"Inuyasha, please, answer me! Does it hurt? Where does it hurt?"

Despite the stiff chill in the air, Inuyasha's face was flushed with heat. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and Kagome did a double-take as she realized that his tongue had slipped out of his mouth and was lolling off to the side.

_He's....**panting?**_

Kagome quickly pressed the back of her palm to his forehead, and her eyes widened in fear.

_He's burning up...._

"Inuyasha, what happened? Are you sick? Tell me what's wrong! What hurts?"

She leaned forward eagerly as his eyes cracked open. His chest was heaving up and down with incredible rapidity, rising and falling with each sharp intake of breath as he continued to pant like a dog in the summertime. When he finally spoke, his voice was strained and quiet.

"My....stomach...."

"Your stomach? What did you eat?" she demanded, her voice quick and frantic. He didn't answer her, but his entire body suddenly tensed as he grabbed his middle with both hands and doubled over, his face twisting in a tight grimace. An unfetted whine, a whimper of pain issued through his clenched teeth.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, taking his arm in her hands. He continued to whine and grip his stomach so tightly she was afraid he would puncture himself with his own claws.

Suddenly, something caught Kagome's eye. In the brilliant moonlight, she spotted a single, tiny dark smudge on Inuyasha's left cheek, close to his mouth. It stood out starkly against his pale skin, and without thinking she reached out to wipe it away with her finger. She was surprised to discover that the substance was smooth and sticky, and it smeared further on his skin even as it rubbed off on her index finger.

A tight grip of utter panic seized her.

_Oh, no....not that...._

Her hand trembling, Kagome lifted the brown smudge to her face and inhaled. Her sense of dread deepened as a strong, sugary smell twinged her nose. She put her lips to the tip of her finger and sucked on it. The sweet, familiar taste filled her mouth immediately, and she suddenly wanted to cry out loud. She turned her gaze back to Inuyasha, who was staring at her with half-lidded eyes. His face was almost blank, but at the same time he wore a hazy expression of abject suffering. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple, and his cheeks were red and flushed.

"Kagome...." he muttered as if in a daze. He winced in pain and contracted yet again, this time folding his arms across his belly and doubling over so far his hair fell over his face.

"Inuyasha!" tears sprang to her eyes and she reached for him, hugging his shoulders as she began to sob. "I'm sorry Inuyasha, I'm _so, so sorry_....I'm an idiot, I'm _such an idiot...."_

How could she have let this happen? How could she have been so stupid??

"Inuyasha," she blurted out, sniffling back her cries as tears continued to stream down her face, "...you have to stay with me, ok? I need you to tell me how much of it you ate."

The hanyou was wheezing for breath again, but his body relaxed slighty in her arms.

"How much....what?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, the pain stinging her heart. "Chocolate," she barely managed to whisper.

"I....don't know...." he mumbled. "I think....I think a lot of it....."

Kagome sniffed loudly, leaning back and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She couldn't do this. She couldn't fall apart on him, not when he needed her so badly. She had to stay strong.

"Kagome," he muttered, falling back against the tree and staring at her through weary, pained eyes, "Why did this happen? What did it do to me?"

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha....I should have told you, I should have made sure you knew.....chocolate is poisonous to dogs."

He only blinked, letting his eyelids lower even further.

_"Hurts....like a bitch...."_ he droned sleepily.

"_No!_ You can't go to sleep! We have to get you some help!" Kagome cried, gently shaking his shoulders. He didn't respond.

She was on the verge of panic. He needed help, and fast....but where could she take him? The school nurse? The hospital? How could she explain to a doctor that he was half dog-youkai? Even a human who was deathly allergic to chocolate wouldn't have a reaction like this....he looked like he was about to pass out any second, and his hands had become permanently fixed over his stomach.

What was she supposed to do? How could she help him?

"Inuyasha," she cried, pulling him off the tree and hugging him tightly. Her arms felt small wrapped around his broad, muscular torso. "What do I do? What do I do?"

"Kagome....stay with me...."

She leaned back slightly to look him in the eye. His golden orbs were closed tightly, his face wrought with silent agony.

"I'll be ok...." he growled softly, his voice barely a whisper. "If you just...._stay with me_..."

She shook her head defiantly, finally gaining control over her rebellious tears.

"We can't stay here! We need to get you to a doctor! I don't care if they ask questions!"

"No," he murmured in reply, his brows lowering in protest, even over his closed eyes. "I can't....move..."

"Then I'll move you!" she shouted, tightening her hold around his shoulders. "I'm not going to sit here while you suffer, Inuyasha!"

"Please."

The softness in his voice startled her. The tears threatened to fall again.

"Kagome....please....just....stay here, with me."

She looked at him, his face twisted in pain as his insides undoubtedly seethed and roiled, protesting against the substance that was so perilously toxic to them. She was trapped. There was no way she had the strength to move him if he didn't want to be moved, and she couldn't possibly bring herself to leave him out here alone, even while she went for help.....

In the end, she forced herself to bite back her cries of despair as she gently shifted him away from the tree. Sitting down in the cool, soft grass with her own back pressed against the trunk, Kagome settled Inuyasha's head in her lap, her fingers combing idly through his silky hair. She stared down at him, his suffering stinging her with guilt....she let her thumb and forefinger rest on his soft, fuzzy dog-ear, rubbing it gently as much to alieve her own anguish as well as possibly any of his. The hanyou groaned loudly, rolling onto his side and clutching his tummy. She had never seen him like this....so vulnerable, so weak, so completely trusting of her. As he turned, his face leaned closer to her, his forehead and the tip of his nose brushing the satin fabric over her stomach. She watched in astonishment as he nuzzled into her, his grimace of pain lifting just the slightest bit. She stroked his ear questioningly.

"Inuyasha?"

"That feels....good...." he mumbled, his words muffled against her.

Within seconds, he was fast asleep.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

_Just one....clear....shot....._

_Kagome quickly realized that she wasn't going to get a clear shot. Inuyasha was flying and leaping around the badger youkai so fast her eyes could barely follow him. She couldn't fire off an arrow; there was too much of a chance she might hit Inuyasha by mistake. _

_The hanyou grunted with effort as he landed roughly on a thick tree limb thirty feet off the ground, the Tetsusaiga held steady in one hand as the claws of the other dug into the branch beneath his feet. _

_The badger was now crazed with fury, swinging blindly in all directions in an attempt to swat the bothersome hanyou. It's red eyes blazed angrily, and it was snarling almost non-stop. _

_'Now's my chance!' _

_Kagome wasted no time in nocking back an arrow and taking aim. She grit her teeth in determination, her eyes narrowed at the head of the roaring beast. _

_"Hit....the....MARK!" _

_With a sparkling gleam of pink energy, the arrow shot forward, piercing the darkness like a lightning bolt. It embedded itself in the back of the demon's skull, and the youkai was instantly bathed in the crackling aura of purification. It screamed in pain and reared back on its hind legs, clumsily scraping its own claws over the back of its head in attempt to rip out the arrow. _

_"I did it!" Kagome cried triumphantly as the beast continued to roil in agony. _

_Then, it turned its sights toward her. The miko's smile vanished as the youkai let out a savage snarl and glared down at her murderously. The next thing she knew, the huge demon was charging across the clearing straight for her. _

_"KAGOME!" _

_Inuyasha's desperate call was the last thing she heard before she fell to her knees and covered her head, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for it all to be over. _

_But seconds passed, and the fierce claws of the badger never reached her. _

_Daring to peer open her trembling eyes, Kagome gasped as she saw the towering body of the youkai standing in front of her. It was growling and screeching and flailing its front paws again, but it wasn't attacking her. Confused, Kagome quickly rose to her feet and scrambled back to a safer distance, staring speechlessly at the tormented demon. _

_"Get out of here, Kagome! It's after the jewel shards!" _

_"Inuyasha!" she cried out fearfully when she spotted him. _

_The hanyou had leapt onto the youkai's back and plunged the Tetsusaiga in between its shoulder blades. He had dug his claws into the thick, furry hide, and was clinging to the demon's back like a flea as it bucked and snarled. The badger then shook itself violently, jerking back and forth and finally managing to dislodge the hanyou. _

_"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed as he sailed helplessly through the air. He let out a shout of surprise the instant before he collided with the trunk of a tree. His head took the brunt of the blow, banging against the hard wooden barrier with a sickening CRACK. He then slid down the length of the tree and fell limply on the ground. In his fist, Tetsusaiga's transformation melted away, leaving him with nothing but a thin, rusty blade. _

_That meant he was unconscious...... _

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Inuyasha wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep. The next thing he knew, he was cracking his eyes slightly, and perturbed to find that even with them open, all he could see was black. The next second, a sharp churn in his stomach reminded him of his self-induced predicament.

_Aaah, hell....this again...._

He winced as the pain ached and roiled more intensely. He realized that his hands were already secured over his middle, and his head was propped up on something warm and soft.... Fuzzy memories filtered through his head as he racked his brain trying to remember what had happened after he found Kagome in the gym.

Outside....they were outside, in the grass.

And chocolate.....it was poisonous to dogs, she had said.....

Kagome.....

The next second, his dulled senses kicked into gear and he realized that he was completely surrounded by her scent. It filled his nostrils and soothed his dizziness, the thick haze in his mind slowly beginning to clear. She smelled so sweet.... ...so pure, so natural....

Without knowing why, Inuyasha closed his eyes again and nuzzled his face into the darkness in front of him. His nose rubbed against something warm and silky, and his brain dimly registered that he knew what it was. Then, the mass shifted slightly, as did the supple cushioning beneath his head, and the hanyou's eyes shot open with abrupt realization.

He was in Kagome's lap, and he was nuzzling against her stomach. If he hadn't been so out of sorts, this kind of revelation would've sent the hanyou reeling backward, his cheeks blushing unconctrollably and his heart pounding out of his chest; but the lurching pain in his stomach hadn't eased up in the slightest, and he still felt sick and light-headed. The sweat on his neck and forehead had become cold, and now he was shivering with the unbearable combination of fever and chill.

And right now, Kagome's scent and touch were the only things helping him to endure the agony. He accepted her comfort without question, and eagerly buried his nose in her lap. He became aware of her fingers gently stroking his ears, and in spite of his anguish a small smile tugged at his mouth as the soothing contact relaxed him.

_Kagome....you stayed with me....._

His stomach lurched violently, and a growling whine escaped his lips as his insides clenched over and over again. If anything, the wriggling snakes were growing more and more volatile.

_Uggh...note to self.....never...**ever**...eat chocolate again....._


	9. Chapter 9

A/N; Ok, just to give everyone a fair warning; after this, I only have one more chapter of this story already done from when I wrote this a _looong _time ago. After chapter 10, I'll have to start writing new ones. Not to disappoint, but to be truthful, I have other fics I want to finish before this one, and I'm already swamped as it is, so there probably won't be more than ten chapters to this story for quite some time. I've gotten enough reviews that I'll seriously consider finishing it, but like I said....it won't be for a while. Sorry to put a damper on things :p hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer; Rumiko Takahashi _owns all._

_Chapter 9_

What felt like hours was in reality only about twenty minutes as Kagome sat with her back to the maple tree, staring off into the distance without really seeing anything. Her face was nearly expressionless, the guilt and worry gnawing viciously at her from the inside. Inuyasha hadn't moved. He had veritably collapsed in her lap, and even now in his sleep, he continued to whine and breathe heavily, squirming in the agony she could only imagine.

_A chocolate overdose in an **inu** hanyou...._

Kagome bit her lip and looked down at his face, almost hidden against her stomach, but still illuminated in the blue lunar light. He was grimacing, his sharp canines clenched together and his brows knit. This had to be the worst feeling in the world; of all possible pains and ailments, Kagome hated stomachaches more than anything. It made her cringe just trying to imagine what was going on in the hanyou's belly at that moment....

"Mmmmm....Ka...gome?"

She immediately shook out of her reverie and looked down. His eyes were open, his expression peaked and weary.

"Inuyasha! You're awake!" she whispered, carefully trying to ease him onto his back so she could get a better look at him. He stubbornly refused, curling into an even tighter ball and burying his face in her stomach.

"How do you feel?" she asked eagerly, contenting herself to gently rake her fingers through his bangs.

"Mmmmm. Like absolute hell, wench."

In spite of his answer, Kagome smiled. If he was up to calling her names, then he was better than before.

"Pretty nasty tummy-ache, huh?"

"You have no idea," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help...."

"Keh. Ain't nothin' you can do."

The miko sighed, and they sat together in silence for a few moments.

"Inuyasha?" she said quietly.

He only grunted in reply. She flinched when his body tensed up again without warning, and he grabbed more fiercely at his middle. His sharper pains seemed to be coming in spasms. Kagome gently scratched at the base of his ear in an attempt to relax him.

_He must really be sick....he's not even complaining about me touching his ears_, she remarked worriedly.

"Inuyasha....why on _earth_ did you eat so much chocolate, anyway?"

His eyes opened a sliver, and let himself roll onto his back. His glazed golden eyes stared straight upward, his cheeks still red and flushed with fever.

"No reason," he grumbled.

Even in his hazy, disoriented state, Kagome could sense he wasn't telling the truth. She lowered her eyelids sadly and continued to scratch.

"Are you sure?" she pressed.

He was quiet for a moment.

"I was....testing something."

"Testing what?"

"Something you told me once."

"Something I told you? What?"

He groaned slightly, both palms laid flat over his belly. "Nothing. It's stupid."

"Inuyasha, tell me! I want to know why you made yourself sick!"

A half-hearted scowl darted up at her. "I didn't know the stuff would make me sick, wench!"

That silenced her. Another wave of guilt washed over her, and she swallowed thickly. He must have sensed it, because the scowl vanished.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

"Keh."

"Will you....tell me why you did it?"

He turned his face away from her, his gaze pointed somewhere around her toes. "You told me once that you like to eat chocolate when you're sad. You said it makes you feel better."

Kagome blinked. She did remember saying that. "And?"

"And....I wanted to see if it worked."

She stared down at him, suddenly overcome with pity and an even heavier guilt.

"Inuyasha....you mean you were?"

He turned back to glare at her defensively. "No!" he snorted. "I wasn't.....I just....I wanted to see if it made me feel any different, that's all."

Kagome tenderly brushed the bangs from his eyes. He didn't protest. "Did it?" she whispered.

A bitter half-smirk crossed the hanyou's mouth. "Hell yeah, it did. Made me feel like I swallowed a bag of rocks."

She laughed lightly, in spite of her worry. There was another peaceful lull in the conversation; until Inuyasha writhed again, this time growling loudly and arching his back.

"Here....let me see something," Kagome said as she carefully eased her lap out from under him, leaving him lying flat on the grass.

"Wench..." he snarled between the seizes of pain. "Where do you think you're....?"

"Shhh. Don't talk for a second, ok?"

He opened his eyes to stare curiously at her, but obediently fell silent.

Shifting to her knees beside him, Kagome carefully took his wrists in her hands and pried them away from his stomach. She then pulled her hair over one shoulder and leaned down, letting her head rest against his body with her ear pressed over his belly. She blinked when he immediately went stiff as a board, but she didn't relinquish her position. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

"K-Kagome?"

"Shhhhh. I'm trying to listen."

She both heard and felt as he swallowed thickly. "For...what?"

"Once when I was little, I got sick from eating too much at a picnic, and my mom listened to my stomach. She told me it's supposed to be a good sign if you can hear noises. It means your system is working through whatever's hurting it."

"Oh....er...ok..."

Kagome pursed her lip and pressed her ear more tightly against him, covering the other with her hand to block out excess noise. Sure enough, she began to pick up faint gurgling sounds....then, his stomach groaned and churned so loudly she jumped in surprise. She sat up quickly, then burst out laughing at Inuyasha's wide-eyed expression.

"What the hell's so funny?" he growled.

"Nothing..." she gasped between giggles, smiling down at him. "That's good. It sounds like a hurricane in there."

He immediately blushed and sat up, turning away from her and leaning against the tree. "Keh. Ain't my fault."

He seemed to be preoccupied with something as he stared off into the distance, his ears idly flicking back and forth. Kagome re-seated herself next to him at a slightly different angle, so that her back was also against the trunk, and her gaze pointed away from him. Except for the soft, far-away grumbling sounds of Inuyasha's stomach, there was silence.

"Kagome?" he suddenly said. His voice was low and gravelly.

She turned her head to look at him. "Hm?"

He hesitated, purposefully staring at something off in the distance. "What.....what were you doing with Hojo before I got there?"

Kagome's cheeks flushed and her heart pounded nervously. "Why do you ask?" her voice slipped into a high-pitched squeak.

He shrugged unconvincingly. "No reason."

She wasn't eager to discuss Hojo with him, but his poorly concealed curiosity prompted a surge of her own. She kept her gaze glued to the unresponsive side of his head.

"Just like there was no reason for you to stuff yourself with chocolate?"

Inuyasha growled darkly and remembered his stomach, wincing as he gripped it with one hand. "Shut it, bitch. You make my gut ache."

She ignored the insult. "I....er, I mean we....we weren't doing anything.....special....."

That caught his gaze. Hard, accusing amber eyes glowed sharply at her through the moonlight.

"So what do you call _nothing special?"_

"Um....you know, just talking."

"Talking in the room with the ridiculously loud-ass music?"

"Well, maybe not really _talking_.....just....hanging out, and stuff."

He frowned confusedly. "_Hanging out?_ Hanging out what?"

"Not literally hanging things. It's just an expression. It means to spend time with."

He scowled. "Spending time with."

Kagome nodded a little too innocently. The hanyou's glared deepened as he leaned slightly closer to her, as if searching her for traces of untruth. She leaned away from him, his ruthless stare sparking her nerves.

"What?" she squeaked.

Inuyasha deliberately sniffed the air in front of her. "You smell like him, Kagome," he said quietly, darkly.

"Oh...do I?" she replied lamely.

"Don't play innocent, wench," he growled, now turning to face her completely. The anger in his countenance was growing. "That bastard's scent is all over you. You were doing a lot more than just _hanging out_."

Kagome sighed, trying not to be intimidated by his sudden change in posture and his ominously flexed claws.

"Ok, so maybe we danced....a _little._ It's not like he tried anything, Inuyasha, so you don't have to get so upset about it."

Rather than cooling down, Inuyasha's temper flared.

"TRIED ANYTHING?? What the hell kind of stuff would he have _TRIED_?"

"I said he _didn't!_"

"Well has he _before??"_

"No, he has not! Hojo is a perfectly nice guy, and he's my friend besides, so would you just calm down?"

"Your FRIEND?" Inuyasha bellowed incredulously, rising up on his haunches to crouch menacingly over her. "That bastard has a lot more than friendship on his mind, wench! I could smell it twenty feet from him, and I can smell it right now all over you!"

Kagome blanched slightly. She knew Inuyasha's nose was keen, but....could he really smell something as intangible as Hojo's one-sided affection? A small knot formed in her stomach. Somehow, she knew that he could....swallowing her nervousness, she pasted a glare on her face that she didn't really feel.

"It was one dance, ok? One slow-dance. It's over now, so just chill, would you? You'll upset your stomach even more if you keep getting all agitated over nothing."

The hanyou ignored her warning as a new look suddenly flashed in his golden eyes. Kagome blinked as she tried to figure out what his wide-eyed expression was. Was he....scared? No....that couldn't be....

"Wait a minute. You _slow-danced_ with him? Slow-danced....like what _we did?_"

Kagome stared, feeling very uneasy about his almost whispering tone of voice. "Well....yeah, I guess I did."

He continued to look at her with that indistinguishable expression. It pierced her heart like an arrow and made her want to look away. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. His features twisted into a furious scowl, and he growled fiercely as he shot to his feet.

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?" Kagome stood up as quickly as she could in her high-heels.

He was storming towards the front doors of the school, his fists clenched angrily and his shoulders uncomfortably tense.

"Where the hell do you think I'm going?" he snarled. "I'm going to go tear that sniveling little bastard a new ass-hole!"

Kagome blinked, then turned pale as she ran after him, ankles wobbling. "What?? Why??"

"I ain't gotta give you a reason!"

"Yes you do! He's my frie...."

"Shut the hell up, bitch!" he roared, cutting her off angrily. He was halfway across the courtyard, Kagome trailing helplessly after him. "I'm going and you can't stop me!"

"He didn't do anything wrong, Inuyasha!" the miko shouted, hot anger of her own rising at his rash behavior.

"The hell he didn't!"

"What, then? What did he do that's so awful?"

"I told you, wench, I ain't gotta explain nothin'!"

"Inuyasha, _stop!_ You're being ridiculous!"

"Keh!"

"Maybe you've forgotten, but you happen to be half poisoned right now! You're going to make yourself even sicker if you start tearing around!"

"Like I give a damn!"

"Well _I_ do!"

"Keh! You're just trying to protect your precious Hojo!"

"I am _not!_ I'm trying to protect _YOU!"_

"Nice try, wench! I told you, you ain't stoppin' me this time!"

"Inuyasha, STOP!"

"MAKE ME!"

Her blood boiling, her rage peaking as her hands clenched into angry fists, Kagome gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. She drew in a long deep breath before halting in the grass and screaming with all the volume she could muster.....

"SIT!"

_BAM!_

Inuyasha hit the ground in an out-and-out belly flop, thumping down so hard that a tremor shot through the ground at his impact. The hanyou's arms reached out in front of him, his face buried in the grass.

Kagome was breathing hard. Her fists ached from clenching so tightly, and a dull throb had started up in her chest. She couldn't remember when she had felt this angry. Staring down at the back of Inuyasha's head only made her irritation worse.

_What a baka! What a complete and total BAKA! What did Hojo ever do to him??_

"Dammit....wench...." Inuyasha growled lowly, shakily lifting himself up on his hands. His body was trembling.

"Serves you right, jerk!" she snapped, a harshness in her voice that she didn't recognize. "What do you think you're...."

But suddenly, before she could finish her tirade, Inuyasha's body seized so violently that he let out a tormented, wrenching snarl of pain. His back arched like a cat, his claws digging into the ground and his forehead dropping until it touched the grass. His growling deteriorated into low whimpers and strained gasping.

Kagome's anger instantly melted away, and she covered her mouth with her hand as she gasped in horror at what she had just done. It was like she'd forgotten that he was sick....he'd made her so furious, and then she just told him to sit without even thinking....

"Inuyasha!" she cried, running and dropping to his side.

The hanyou didn't acknowledge her as his body curled up tightly, his back heaving as he continually fought for breath. One hand had clamped over his stomach and his claws had pierced the fabric of his haori, gripping so tightly that he looked as though he were seconds away from intentionally disemboweling himself.

Kagome was so choked by guilt she could scarcely breathe. He had landed right on his stomach, right smack on the part of him that was hurting so badly, and it was all her stupid fault because she'd gone and lost her temper.

"Inuyasha? Inuyasha, say something!" she pleaded, taking him by the shoulders and groaning with effort as she forced him off the ground into a sitting position. He whined and growled in protest, his eyes squeezed shut as he ground in teeth in agony. A fresh sweat had broken on his forehead, and she realized that the faint flush of fever on his cheeks had never actually faded.

"...Ka...gome..."

"I'm so sorry! Forgive me!" she cried, desperately fighting back guilty tears.

_Do not cry!_ she ordered herself. _Crying is going to solve nothing!_

Inuyasha grimaced and fought against her hands on his shoulders, wanting to double over again.

"Inuyasha! What do you need? What can I do?"

"...wench...." he growled between gasps. "....I told you.....nothing....you can do..."

"You need to lay down! You're going to cut yourself if you keep doing that!" she seized his hand in hers and tried unsuccessfully to pry it away from his middle. He whined sharply in protest.

Kagome maneuvered herself so that she was in front of him and made a grab for his hand again. He attempted to jerk away from her, but the rigid motion set him off balance and he teetered precariously on his haunches. Kagome's eyes widened in panic as she lunged forward to steady him. The absolute last thing she wanted was for him to fall again and endure another jolt to his already volatile system. However, as soon as she reached out and caught him by the neck of his haori and pulled, his misplacement of gravity shifted and he pitched forward instead of back. Kagome let out a short gasp of surprise as she unwittingly pulled him on top of her. The trembling hanyou sprawled limply, hitting her like a bag of wet cement. Kagome managed to catch herself on her elbows before she hit the ground flat on her back.

Breathing heavily from the close call, Kagome looked down at the top of the silvery head now resting against her chest. His face was hidden from her vision, but his ears were trembling viciously and his gripping hand was now stuck sandwiched between their bodies. He was wheezing, and the burning heat of his fever was radiating in undulating waves out from his forehead. Kagome bit her lip as the tears threatened again. He was in so much pain....and she had made it so much worse....

Without even thinking about the way they were situated, Kagome uttered a small cry and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's head, hugging him gently as she fought to keep the tears at bay. She managed to keep her eyes dry, but her small body was racked with pent up sobs, and she jerked beneath his weight. Her legs were trapped uselessly underneath him, and one of her shoes had slipped off at the impact. Her bare toes pointed up at the sky from between the billowing red legs of his hakama.

His long hair was so soft against her bare arms as she hugged him, so silky falling against her collar bone....he was silent and unmoving, and a vice of panic seized her as she wondered if maybe he had fallen unconscious.

"I'm so, so sorry," she whispered. "Inuyasha....please just be alright....."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

_Damn that stupid wench,_ Inuyasha thought bitterly as a low growl rumbled in his throat. _Having the nerve to sit me, right when I was about to teach that little weakling a lesson once and for all...._

The thought of Kagome and Hojo alone together was bad enough. Then when she had told him they had actually danced; and _slow_-danced, the term that bore meaning to him now...... It meant that quiet, intimate movement, when she had put her head against his chest, and when he had dared to hope that maybe he wasn't just imagining her face inching closer to his. The idea of her doing that with anyone else set his blood boiling with rage.....and that she had done it with that little Hojo bastard, nonetheless! And then she had just tossed it out there, casual as hell, like it didn't mean anything at all.....

_"Well....yeah, I guess I did."_

The complete nonchalance of that sentence repeated over and over in his head like a bell that wouldn't stop ringing. It made him grit his teeth in supressed anger, but then at the same time it utterly defeated him and set his ears to pinning flat against his skull. It really didn't mean anything to her, did it? Maybe....maybe that meant that she didn't think anything at all about their slow-dance, either. Inuyasha's growl stifled into a saddened whine as he thought about it.

_You just don't get it, Kagome....and how can I blame you? It's not like I can ever work up the guts to say anything....._

Then, to top it off, the twisting knife in his gut that had gradually been easing away had come back with a vengeance the second he hit the ground from the sit command. The toxic chocolate in his system had turned so volatile that it was positively roiling inside him, and his stomach had suddenly ached so badly he felt breathless. Even now as he lay slumped forward, the hand that was pinned against his middle was so taught that his claws had actually punctured tiny holes into his skin. He didn't even flinch at the external pain, he was so preoccupied with the agony on the inside.

The hanyou groaned bitterly and weakly opened his eyes a crack. He hated feeling so weak, so vulnerable. It was maddening to be rendered totally helpless by something as stupid as a measley stomach-ache.

He clenched his teeth and tried to sit up, then realized he couldn't move, partially because his body felt weak and drained and partially because something was trapping his head in place. He frowned, blinking a few times as he wondered what the hell was going on.

"I'm so, so sorry," a soft voice suddenly hummed. "Inuyasha....please just be alright....."

His frown deepened. Kagome? She sounded scared, and worried. Her scent was all around him, tinged with detectable traces of her upset....

"Ohhhh....Kagome?" he tried to talk, but his voice was muffled next to something.

Then, he suddenly became aware of a loud, rhythmic beat, thumping next to his ear and filling his head with the dull reverbations. Inuyasha's eyes popped open and his body tensed as he realized what it was.

_Oh, freaking hell....._

The hanyou's face grew even redder than the stifling fever had tinged it, but at the same time he made no efforts to break free of Kagome's grasp. It was assuaging his pain somehow, laying there with his head pillowed on her bosom. She was just so damn....comfortable....and soft.....and.......

"Inuyasha?" she gasped hopefully, the heartbeat pressed to his temple racing even faster. "You're awake? You're ok?"

"Keh. I'm fine, wench," he muttered, blushing deeper than he had known he could blush.

He knew she saw through his lie, but she breathed a huge sigh of relief anyway as her arms tightened around his head, hugging him even closer into her chest. Her fingers found his free ear and rubbed it gently, forcing him to stifle a soft groan of contentment.

"I was so scared. I thought you were unconscious."

"Keh."

"Oh, Inuyasha, I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I said that....when you're already in so much pain....I'm so sorry...."

His heart gave a wrenching twinge when he smelled the saltiness of her tears starting up again. He growled too lowly for her to hear, the twinge worsening as her chest started to heave with suppressed cries.

'Damn it all....those tears can go straight to hell....'

"Oi, would you quit beatin' yourself up about it?" he grumbled crossly. Kagome gasped and hiccupped, but the smell of her tears remained.

"But....it's my fault you're sick in the first place, and all I've done is make it worse, and...." she choked, sniffling and starting to tremble. "....and....oh, Inuyasha!"

Like a dam breaking, she burst loudly into tears. As if seeking comfort, her arms involuntarily tightened around his head as she began to cry, pressing his face just a little too closely between her breasts. The hanyou's heart abruptly rocketed into his mouth, and he cleared his throat nervously as he struggled in vain to do the same to his suddenly fuzzy brain. The smell of her tears helped to keep him grounded in reality, but only just. The flush that was already covering his face creapt hotly down his neck.

"Oi!" he croaked, his voice cracking and his annoyance sounding less than half-hearted. "Wench! You're suffocating me!"

"Sorry," she gasped, immediately loosening her hold on him. The moment her arms dropped away, Inuyasha scrambled madly off of her, only to flop down backwards on the grass as his stomach protested the harsh movement. It was a struggle to do anything quickly at this point, but he knew that if he had hesitated for even an instant he would have been too tempted to stay exactly where he was. The hanyou gulped thickly, willing the redness of his face to fade.

A small sound caught his attention. Looking up, he saw that Kagome's tears had started up again, and she was holding the back of her hand to her mouth as she tried to stifle her cries.

Those stupid tears....they hurt him worse than the damn chocolate. Every tiny sob that wracked her shoulders was like an arrow in his heart, and the 'feeling' was welling up rapidly and making him panicky. Inuyasha let out a sharp growl that was a surprise even to himself. Kagome looked up at him through her watery eyes.

"Dammit, Kagome, enough's enough! Would you get a freaking grip already??"

She simply stared, her face blanking with astonishment. "But I...."

"No buts! Hell, Kagome, get it through your head! This is not your fault, and blaming yourself and crying about it ain't gonna fix a damn thing!"

To his surprise, she didn't argue. She sniffled a bit, and the tears continued to bud from her eyes, but at least she had stopped sobbing.

Inuyasha felt a strange prompting in his mind, as if she was waiting for him to say something else.

"Kagome....you....if it weren't for you.....I....." the hanyou found himself suddenly tongue-tied as he stared back into her wide, shining eyes.

The miko swallowed and leaned closer to him. "You what?" she whispered.

"I.....I.....I....." he was stammering like an idiot. That expectant gaze of hers was boring into him, leaving him helpless and spellbound.

Then, suddenly, his frantically racing thoughts were rudely interrupted by a violent heave in his stomach. Inuyasha's face went blank and he let his eyes stray down to stare incredulously at his middle. This lurch was different from the others; it was like his stomach was trying to climb its way up his throat. It churned again, loudly this time, and the hanyou slapped a hand over his mouth as a familiar yet unfamiliar sensation filled him.

Kagome's expectant stare abruptly dissipated and turned to one of curious concern. "Inuyasha? What's the matter?"

He kept his hand clamped tightly over his mouth as the other gripped his flip-flopping stomach.

"Ib gudda be sig," he mumbled through his fingers.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Ib gudda be sig," he repeated.

"What? Inuyasha, I can't tell what you're....."

"IB GUDDA BE SIG!" he shouted, belly lurching when he raised his voice.

"Oh!" the realization hit Kagome visibly as her eyes widened and she recognized the urgency of the situation. She was on her feet in an instant, kicking off her remaining shoe as she hurriedly helped lift him to a standing position.

"Quick....follow me! There's a trash can by the wall over here...." her voice was low and regulated with calm, all traces of her crying having now vanished.

Inuyasha let her lead him at a half-run towards the brick wall of the building, but he kept one hand sealed over his mouth, afraid that he would utterly lose it if he didn't. It had been so long since he had actually thrown up....he had forgotten the bitter unpleasantness of bile rising steadily in his throat. They reached the wall just in time. Kagome brought him straight to the open trash bin that sat next to a row of benches, and the second he was close enough Inuyasha threw his head into it and let everything out. He gripped the sides of the trash can with his hands, bracing himself against it as his body heaved again and again, his back arching and his feet practically lifting off the ground. He felt Kagome's light, comforting touch as she gently pulled his hair back and out of his face.

The sickening, acidic smell of his own vomit was enough to make the hanyou ill again in itself. He was overcome with a crippling humiliation as he stood there, bent over and lurching so hard his ribs ached; and his embarrassment only burned hotter when he realized how much noise he was making. The violent sounds of his gagging and retching echoed significantly through the empty courtyard, and he cringed with every fresh wave of nausea that hit him.

_Kagome....._ he thought weakly as he coughed between sicknesses; _.....hell.....I don't want her seeing me like this....._

But at the same time, he was glad she was there. He wasn't sure when her hand had slipped quietly onto his back, but he became aware of her palm sliding up and down his spine, rubbing gently and somehow soothing away his shooting sickness pangs. When he was finally finished, Inuyasha remained bent over the trash can, breathing heavily and still bracing himself on the circular rim. His throat burned and his mouth tasted vile, but he realized that the instense pain in his stomach was gone, and that the worst of his queasiness was over. Now, however, it had been replaced by a combination of exhaustion and staggering dizziness.

"Oh, Inuyasha....." Kagome crooned sympathetically.

"Keh," he growled, his face red, both from wretching and the embarrassment of wretching in front of Kagome. Slowly, he forced himself to straighten up and wipe his mouth on his sleeve, quelling the surge of dizziness that nearly put him off balance.

"Here....rest for a few minutes, ok?"

"Wench, I don't need to....."

"For me?" she interrupted patiently. Inuyasha stole a glance at her face and saw with a slight pang that her bright brown eyes were lit with worry. He sighed, but let her ease him gently down onto one of the benches nearby. Truth be told, he was feeling more than a little shaken. He had never been that ill in one sitting in his entire life.....

"Keh," he mumbled irrately as his back went taught on the wooden plank. Growling, he slipped off of it, electing to sit hunched over dog-style on the ground with his hands between his feet. Kagome slid over until she was seated behind him.

"Do you feel any better?" she asked. Her voice soothed him, helped to clear away the dizziness.

He shrugged. "Yeah....a little."

He was still weak from wretching, and his fever hadn't completely subsided, but the agonizing roil in his gut was definitely gone. The taste of the bile, however, was still stubbornly potent, and he shuddered involuntarily at the acrid, lingering bitterness. As if sensing his discomfort, Kagome sighed and scooted closer behind him. The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood up on end as he felt her hand again, massaging gently between his shoulder blades.

He couldn't help it. He groaned out loud as her fingers kneaded into the strained muscles, her touch draining the tension from his entire body. Without realizing it he bent down even further, allowing her easier access to his back. Kagome giggled quietly before applying both hands, massaging in small circles. A deep rumbling of contentment started up in the hanyou's chest as the last traces of his chocolate-induced misery faded away.

"Does this help?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"Mmmm. Lower, wench," he ordered, groaning comfortably as he stretched his arms out in front of him and raked the ground with his claws.

She giggled again at the dog-like action, the melodious sound of her laughter working wonders for his mood. Her hands obediently slid down and rubbed gently at the small of his back. He rumbled louder as he went limp, struggling to keep from sprawling flat on the ground entirely. It had been ages since he'd had his back rubbed.....not since his mother was alive. He had forgotten how nice it was. He tamped down the urge to roll onto his back to see if maybe she would be willing to rub his belly, too.

_Keh,_ he thought, a pleasant shiver rippling through him as Kagome's thumb worked at a knot below his left shoulder;

_....at least now I know one surefire method to get her to stop crying......_


End file.
